U16 Asia Cup final.

China's starting five: Zhou Zhanfeng, Zhang Ziyi, Zhang Yizhao, Zhang Chunzhi, Chen Yuxiu.

Australia's starters: Paul, Mabert, Jorgensen, Hamilton, Dammers.

From the beginning, the two teams battled closely, exchanging leads without anyone breaking away. Shi Minghao nailed a last-second three-pointer in the first quarter, putting China slightly behind at 16-17.

The second quarter remained highly competitive. China briefly took the lead, but Australia quickly responded, and the quarter ended in a tie.

At halftime, China was down by just one point at 33-34. All five starters contributed: Zhang Yizhao scored 8 points with 2 rebounds, Chen Yuxiu had 7 points, 1 rebound, and 2 assists, Zhang Ziyi added 5 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks, Zhang Chunzhi put up 4 points and 3 rebounds, and Zhou Zhanfeng contributed 3 points, 2 rebounds, and 1 assist.

In the second half, China's offense collapsed while Australia grew stronger and more aggressive.Ultimately, China lost 58-85, settling for second place.

It seems that whether in the senior or youth categories, Australia has long been a formidable obstacle for Chinese basketball in Asia.

Australia, with a clear physical advantage,grabbed 54 rebounds in total, including 16 offensive boards.Four players scored in double figures, with Paul nearly achieving a triple-double by contributing 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists.

China only secured 27 rebounds, 27 fewer than Australia,and had just one player in double digits — Zhang Yizhao, who shot 5 of 11 to finish with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals.

Moreover, China was significantly outmatched in physical contact, which directly hurt their offensive efficiency. They made only 3 of 19 three-point attempts, a poor shooting rate of about 16%, and converted 13 of 24 free throws, roughly 54% accuracy.

Since the loss was by a large margin, there is little to say or regret; only by continuing hard training can they hope to someday achieve revenge.

In this U16 Asia Cup, Australia defeated Bahrain 141-47, India 131-42, Lebanon 73-61, South Korea 98-70, Japan 101-36, and China 85-58.

Indeed, this shows the flawless dominance of a world-class team.