Ice-cold behind the arc, China falls to S. Korea in women's basketball semifinal

Defending champion China went ice-cold from beyond the arc and fell to South Korea 85-80 in the women's basketball semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday, dashing China's bid for a third straight title.

China dominated the rebounds 52-31 thanks to its height advantage, but a scoreless night from three-point range - 0 for 13 - combined with 18 turnovers left the team without enough firepower to win.

2.23-meter center Zhang Ziyu led China with 22 points, while Luo Xinyu and Yang Shuyu added 17 and 15, respectively. South Korea was led by Lee So-hee's game-high 23 points, with Lee Haeran adding 22. China's Han Xu and Li Yueru, along with South Korea's Park Ji-su, all missed the tournament due to commitments with their WNBA clubs.

The first three quarters were tightly contested. China opened with a 7-0 run, but the team struggled to adjust to South Korea's pace once Zhang checked in and was quickly overtaken - Zhang first played just one minute and three seconds before being subbed out.

China leaned on Luo and Tang Ziting to stay in the fight, and steadied itself once Zhang returned to the floor. South Korea shot a chilly 3-for-21 behind the arc in the first half, but the shots started falling in the third quarter, when the team knocked down four three-pointers. China, relying on drives from Wang Siyu and Yang, still carried a four-point lead into the fourth.

South Korea captain Kang Lee-seul, who finished with 16 points, caught fire in the decisive final 10 minutes, putting her team back in front. With China trailing by one with 9.1 seconds left, the team fouled intentionally, but Wang Siyu picked up her second unsportsmanlike foul of the game and was ejected. South Korea later converted all four ensuing free throws, and a last-gasp three-point attempt from Tang rimmed out as time expired, sealing the five-point loss for China.

Asked about China's scoreless night from beyond the arc, head coach Gong Luming pointed to the difficulty of getting the ball back out to the perimeter once it went inside.

"We have a big edge in the paint, but we couldn't get the ball back out once it went in. We wanted to slow the pace and play to our strengths inside, but the timing between our inside and outside game wasn't there," Gong said.

He added that South Korea's aggressive defense played a role. "Their pressure created real problems for us. Everyone was fighting at their limit, and we had open looks, but we didn't have enough left in the tank to convert them."

Gong acknowledged that his team's approach ran counter to the international game's growing emphasis on perimeter shooting, calling it a matter of necessity rather than choice.

"To keep pace with that global trend, you need the right players and the skill set for it. Once you have both, you build a team with a foundation," he said. "We have to work with what we actually have on this roster - what we want to do and what we're able to do."

"Tonight isn't the full picture of this team, but we'll go back and take a hard look at why we lost," Gong added.

On the development of the towering center Zhang, Gong said she still has plenty to work on, and that experience on the floor remains the best teacher.

"This was her first Asian Games, right off her first World Cup - valuable experience that will help her work through transition speed, post positioning, physical contact and getting back on defense," Gong said. "Every bit of progress matters. We don't want to rush her - she still has a lot of room to grow."

China will play for bronze on Friday.

Looking ahead to the bronze medal game, Luo said the team would give it everything. "We want to fight for the win and finish this Asian Games with the best result we can, with what we're capable of."