SINGAPORE, July 9 (Xinhua) -- China's men's and women's teams both topped their pools to secure quarterfinals spots at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup 2022 here on Saturday.
Placed in pool C, the Chinese women's team beat New Zealand 21-12 before getting past Australia 20-12.
China initially made two changes compared to its FIBA World Cup bronze-winning squad, replacing Cao Junwei and Wan Jiyuan with Huang Kun and Luo Xinyu, but bringing Wan back to the roster afterward to partner with Huang, Zhang Zhiting and Wang Lili at the Asia Cup.
China's head coach Xu Jiamin explained the decision has been made due to team chemistry concerns.
"When you make two changes to the four-player roster, the team will experience big changes in style and system, which takes more time to build the team chemistry and means more risks ahead of a major tournament," said Xu.
"We hope to go for the best result with the best overall strength and shape at the Asian Cup. We will go for the champion," she added.
China will take on Thailand in Sunday's quarterfinals.
Consisting of Liu Zeyi, Lyu Junhu, Zhao Jiaren and Zhao Jiayi, the Chinese men's team reached the pool through the qualifying draw on Thursday.
They got the better of hosts Singapore 22-13 and the Philippines 21-11 in pool C, setting up a quarterfinal encounter with South Korea.
The tournament's semifinals and final are also scheduled on Sunday. ■
