CHINA came alive in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers after completing a two-game sweep of the fourth window, including a close 89-87 win over Lebanon, Monday night.
NBA player Hansen Yang scored the go-ahead basket for the host team inside the final 10 seconds of the tight contest at the Xishi Basketball Center in Zhuji, China.
The Cedars still had one final shot of stealing the game away, but guard Hayk Gyokchyan attempt from the three-point arc missed its mark.
Yang, the young 7-foot-1 center of the Portland Trail Blazers, had a game-high 19 points and nine rebounds for Team Dragon, which improved its record to 4-4 in a three-way tie with Qatar and South Korea.
China dispatched Qatar over the weekend, 83-57, to start its second round campaign on a winning note.
Lebanon fell to a 6-2 record for a tie with Japan on top of Group F.
Hachimura fires off vs. Qatar
Earlier, Rui Hachimura had another high-scoring game for Japan in a 123-70 rout of Qatar at the Toyota Arena in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old Los Angeles Clippers forward came through with 30 points including a sizzling 6-of-8 shooting from three-point range en route to the 53-point demolition of next year’s World Cup host.
Hachimura added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the win that improved Akatsuki Japan’s record to 6-2 overall.
Veteran guard Yuki Kawamura registered 10 assists for Japan, which also got 23 points from Keisei Tominaga, 16 and four rebounds from naturalized player Joshua Hawkinson, and 12 from veteran Yuta Watanabe.
Akatsuki Japan completed a two-game sweep of the fourth window following a runaway 106-78 victory over Saudi Arabia last week.
Qatar fell to an even 4-4 record, although the country is already assured of a berth in the World Cup as it hosts the 2027 edition of the quadrennial meet.
Over in Suwon, South Korea turned back Saudi Arabia, 85-72, sending the visiting team further down the standings at 3-5.
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