SEREMBAN (Malaysia) - Li Yuanshan wasted no time introducing herself with a scintillating performance to power China past New Zealand, 83-74, in their FIBA U16 Women's Asia Cup 2025 debut at the Karisma Arena.
The 1.78 M (5'10") winger shone bright on Monday night, erupting for 38 points thanks mainly to an 8-of-16 clip from deep as she helped Team Dragon snatch the lead early for good before sparking a big second-half attack.
She scored 16 of her points in the third quarter alone, including a triple to give themselves the 61-48 lead before the period ended - a lead that eventually ballooned to its highest at 16 during the final frame.
That good of a showing, though, almost went for naught when the NZL Girls stormed back and got to within just three twice inside the final 31.7 seconds behind a rally led by twins Shamar and Charis Broughton.
But her teammates made sure that they wouldn't fall as a collective, with the troika of Sun Hanyun, Ming Jiayi, and Yuan Yixin all coming together for the finishing blows to ensure a victorious start to their campaign.
Sun finished with 14 points and 7 rebounds in the win that set up China for a crucial date ahead with Japan tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22, at 16:30 local time as it would be a clash for the Group B top spot.
The Japanese were also triumphant in the opening day of Division A competitions following a masterful 132-31 conquest of Syria as they made it rain from beyond the arc with a whopping 18 three-pointers.
Nine of the 12 players knocked down at least a triple in the wire-to-wire win, with six finishing in double figures bannered by Hinako Oda with a game-high 22 points alongside 4 rebounds and 3 assists.
Nene Gondo went 4-of-7 from three and tallied 18 points, together with 5 rebounds, 7 assists, and 5 steals without a single turnover. Sakura Tamaki supplied 15 points as she and Gondo headed the bench mob.
Saya Kinoshita made 14 points and 7 rebounds. Momoka Kaji had 12 points while Honoka Yasui added 11 points in the lopsided affair that saw Team Japan shoot 51.6-percent from the floor and tally 39 assists.
The winner between China and Japan will have the inside track of finishing atop the pool, which also merits an outright ticket to the Semi-Finals - and a slot at the FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup 2026.
New Zealand and Syria will take on one another on Tuesday as well at the 19:00 nightcap in a clash between teams hungry to bounce back, and more importantly break through to stay in the race.
FIBA