China U18 wins fifth straight warm-up game

China's U18 men's basketball team continued their summer warm-up campaign on Tuesday, defeating Canada's David A. Basketball Academy 94-85 for their fifth consecutive victory.

The starters were Wang Zichao, Li Junxian, Zhang Chunzhi, Lyu Feiyan, and Zhang Yizhaojie.

China opened with an 8-2 run, but trailed 19-17 after the first quarter and 41-39 at halftime. They turned the game around in the third quarter, outscoring their opponents to take a 71-60 lead into the final period. They held off a late rally to secure the win.

Wang Zichao finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Zhang Yizhaojie led all scorers with 24 points and 2 rebounds. Li Junxian added 16 points and 7 rebounds, while Lyu Feiyan had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocks.

The U18 team will next compete in the Asian U18 Championship, held August 13-23 in India. China is in Group C alongside Iran, Qatar and Sri Lanka. Group winners advance directly to the quarterfinals, while second- and third-place teams enter a play-off round for the remaining four spots.