The Chinese women’s basketball team won the gold medal in the women’s basketball final at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games against Japan 74-72 at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Gymnasium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on the 5th (Korea time).

With this, China won the title for the second time in a row following the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games. Japan aimed for the first gold medal in 25 years since the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games, but was blocked by China.

It is a match between world No. 2 and No. 9, and it can be seen as a meeting of world-class teams beyond Asia as both China and Japan have elite members except for the injured.

Wang Siyu (14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), Li Yuan (12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists), Li Weeru (13 points, 9 rebounds), and Han Si (10 points, 8 rebounds) were active in China.

Japan also helped, starting with Mai Kawai (8 points and 8 assists), Maki Takada (13 points and 8 rebounds), Saki Hayashi (17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists), and Himawari Akaho (8 points and 8 rebounds).

China, which finished the first quarter with a score of 26-16, seemed to be taking the game easily. However, Japan’s last-minute chase was hot, and Hayashi’s 3-pointer tied the score at 72-72 17 seconds before the end of the game.

It was Wang Shiyu who became China’s hero. He scored the dramatic winning goal, taking the lead back to 74-72. Japan had to watch China’s second consecutive loss as Akaho’s last attempt to tie the game failed.

After winning two consecutive wins at the 2002 Busan Asian Games and the 2006 Doha Asian Games, China won the Asian Games for the second time in a row for the first time in 16 years. At that time, China also won a gold medal at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, winning its third consecutive title.

Source: 와이즈토토