SHENZHEN (China) - China continued their commanding run at the FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025, cruising to a decisive 85-51 victory over New Zealand Wednesday night at the Shenzhen Sports Centre.
With this win, the hosts improved to a flawless 3-0 and directly booked their place in the Semi-Finals, while New Zealand secured third place in Group A to advance to the Qualification for the Semi-Final Round.
After struggling to find their rhythm early in the opening quarter, China settled down swiftly to seize control. Yang Shuyu’s sharp shooting ignited the offense, as she knocked down two early three-pointers to help lift China to a 16-8 lead with under four minutes remaining in the quarter. As always, Zhang Ziyu’s imposing size wreaked havoc inside, giving the Tall Ferns plenty of trouble and anchoring China’s inside-outside attack. This balanced scoring surge pushed the hosts to a commanding 25-10 lead by quarter’s end.
The second quarter saw New Zealand’s offense reach a frustrating drought, failing to score for the first three minutes after their last basket with three minutes left in the first period. China, meanwhile, kept up the pressure and ball movement, accumulating 16 assists by halftime. Though scoring slowed slightly, China maintained a comfortable 42-23 advantage. Yang reached 10 points at the break, demonstrating poise and consistency in her playmaking and scoring.
New Zealand opened the third quarter with a quick 5-0 run, presenting a brief spark, but China swiftly reasserted control with an 11-0 counterattack that pushed their lead to 53-28 with five minutes remaining. China’s strong guard play, led by Yang together with Wang Siyu and Yang Liwei, allowed them to extend the margin to as high as 32 points. The hosts ended the quarter ahead 66-38, firmly in command of the contest.
By the fourth quarter, China’s scoring barrage continued unrelenting. Their shooting lifted the lead to 71-41 with eight minutes left, effectively putting the game out of reach. Strong frontcourt performances by Zhang and Han Xu fueled a further extension to 78-41 with under six minutes remaining, paving the way for a comfortable finish.
Zhang finished with 12 points in just 10 minutes, dominating inside, while Yang Shuyu contributed 12 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 three-pointers, orchestrating China’s offense with calm efficiency. Han also added 10 points and 5 rebounds to round out the strong frontcourt effort.
For New Zealand, Charlotte Whittaker was the lone player in double digits with 10 points, but the Tall Ferns struggled to consistently break China’s defensive pressure throughout the night.
This emphatic victory continues China’s quest for back-to-back championship crowns on home soil and sends a clear message to the rest of the field: the defending champions are focused on their mission.
Looking ahead, China will await their Semi-Finals opponent, while New Zealand prepare for their qualification showdown against Japan on Friday.
FIBA