The Chinese men's basketball national team completed an unbeaten run at the International Solidarity Cup in Haikou, south China's Hainan Province, with a 90-82 victory over Cameroon on Monday, wrapping up the exhibition tournament with three straight wins after earlier victories against Georgia and Cameroon.
He Xining led the home side with 25 points, while Zhao Jiayi continued an impressive run by adding 21 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting from three-point range. Jiao Boqiao dominated in the paint with 17 points and eight rebounds, and Pang Zhenglin contributed 12 points as China wrapped up the showcase with another well-worked triumph.
Cameroon was paced by John Tonje, who poured in a game-high 28 points, while Russell Tchewa added 17. Despite keeping the score close for long stretches, the African side was unable to slow down the balanced Chinese offense in the latter stages of the contest.
The tournament served as another opportunity for coach Guo Shiqiang's squad to rotate its lineup and build additional chemistry ahead of upcoming international competitions, with several younger players making strong cases to potentially be given larger roles.
Xie Liyongwei, who scored five points in his senior national team debut, said the coaching staff and veteran teammates continually encouraged him. The 22-year-old noted that He Xining, last season's Chinese Basketball Association MVP, told him before tipoff to "play freely and do what you do best," advice that helped the young guard settle down nicely in his first appearance on the international stage.
China will continue its preparations for the second round of FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers with three more warm-up games in Foshan in mid-August, meeting Uruguay and New Zealand. Guo's squad is then scheduled to resume the qualifying campaign by visiting Doha to face Qatar on August 27 before welcoming Lebanon to Zhuji, Zhejiang Province, on August 31.
