China escapes a late deficit to top Chinese Taipei 100-93, clinching its second consecutive win in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers.
Manila, March 1 — China erased an 11-point gap in the fourth quarter and surged past Chinese Taipei, securing a hard-fought victory that keeps their momentum rolling in the qualifiers.
With the score tied at 91-91 after Zhao Jiwei drilled a long-range jumper with 2:44 left, China seized the moments that mattered. Zhao Rui drew a foul on a 3-point attempt, sinking two of three free throws to put China ahead 95-93. From there, timely accuracy at the line sealed the win for the visitors.
Five Chinese players reached double figures, led by Zhu Junlong with 19 points. Zhao Jiwei contributed 13 points, while Hu Jinqiu added 15.
"We pulled ourselves back from the edge of the cliff," Zhao Jiwei said. "In these two games, we showed more unity and courage than ever. I hope these victories wake the entire team to fight together. But the job isn’t finished, and we must stay ready for the next matches."
Chinese Taipei opened strongly, with center Brandon Gilbeck scoring 10 of his team’s first 14 points. Off the bench, Zhao Jr. knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to help China swing the momentum, and Zhu’s late 3-pointer gave China a 27-22 edge after the first period.
The second period was tight. China moved ahead early on, but Chen Ying-chun scored seven straight for Chinese Taipei, tying the game at 35-35. Liu Cheng’s 3-pointer ended the half with Chinese Taipei up 51-50.
Taipei seized the upper hand after the break, as Lin Ting-chien’s three-point play boosted its lead to 70-61 with four minutes left in the third quarter. The visitors extended the advantage to as many as 11 before China mounted a fourth-quarter rally to pull out the win.
China head coach Guo Shiqiang noted, "I told my players before this game that it would come down to the wire, and we had to be prepared for 40 minutes on both ends. This was a true team victory."
For Chinese Taipei, Chen Y.-Chun led with a game-high 26 points, while Lin Ting-chien and Brandon Gilbeck added 22 and 19, respectively.
In other results from Sunday, China previously defeated Japan 87-80 on the road to secure its first win of the phase. Japan then edged South Korea 78-72, moving to 3-1 atop the group. South Korea and China each stood at 2-2, with Chinese Taipei at 1-3.
Looking ahead to the final two rounds in July, the top three teams from the group will advance to the next phase. The group race remains wide open, with several teams still in contention and a few still fighting to improve their positioning.
