Why China prevailed and Korea fell short at Women's OQT
MANILA (Enzo Flojo's Asia on my Mind) - I had my hopes up that both Asian teams in the 2016 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament would punch tickets to Rio, but I was quite disappointed. China victoriously barged onto the Olympic stage after prevailing over Belarus in the Quarter-Finals, but Korea faltered in their 5th Place Game against the same team, effectively getting eliminated.
How did this happen? How did the Chinese manage to squeeze through the eye of the needle to earn the right to play in the Olympics, and how did Koreans squander their chances at glory?
Let’s see.
China started their brief campaign in a big way, beating Venezuela, 77-59, before being outclassed by Spain, 77-43. They rebounded beautifully against a tough Belarus quintet in the Quarter-Finals, though, leaning on Shao Ting’s 18 points and 5 rebounds to come out triumphant, 84-70. They were able to withstand the near-double-double of 1.95m/6ft 5in Yelena Leuchanka, who tallied 19 points and 9 boards.
The Chinese used their size and superior boxing out to win the battle of the glass in their pivotal encounter with Belarus, 41-30. Aside from Shao, veteran Nan Chen teamed up with Lu Wen and Gao Song to collar at least 5 rebounds each. China’s rebounding prowess helped them score 5 more second chance points, and, of course, that was critical.
It also cannot be discounted that moved the ball really well. They assisted on 26 of their 33 made field goals for a whopping 78.8% assist rate! Lu Wen starred again in this department with 5 assists, while compatriot Chen Xiaojia also handed out 5 dimes. Coach Thomas Maher was surely happy with his team’s ball movement, which made up for their 19 turnovers.
Another big reason for China’s win was their flawless free-throw shooting. The Chinese went to the strip fourteen times, and not once did they miss. Shao Ting and Huang Hongpin combined for 10 of those successful charity shots to pace Team Dragon, which have played in the Olympics the last three editions.
Korea, in contrast, last played on the Olympic stage in 2008. They fell short in 2012, and it was a sorry sight to see them fail to make the grade again this year.
I felt that Korea had a great chance at making the Olympics mainly because they had already beaten Belarus earlier in the tournament, 66-65. Belarus lit up the scoreboard from downtown in that game, hitting 41% of their threes, but they couldn’t contain teenage sensation Park Jisu, who recorded 13 points and 14 rebounds, and the dynamic duo of Kang Ajeong and Kim Danbi, who paired up for 35 points.
The story, however, was different in their rematch as Belarus imposed their will in the paint. Coach Anatoli Buyalski’s wards outrebounded Korea, 50-35, and outscored them in the box, 28-10. Twin towers Anastasiya Verameyenka and Yelena Leuchanka struck hard for the winners in this encounter, combining for 19 points and 26 rebounds, while naturalized playmaker Lindsey Harding delivered the goods with 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.
This time around, Park was hampered by awful shooting. The 17-year-old 1.95m/6ft 5in rising star managed to shoot just 2-of-7 from the field to finish with a paltry 5 points. Kang also went ice cold, making just 1 of her 10 attempts from the floor. Kim was Korea’s only bright spot here, putting up 11 points in their losing cause.
This was definitely not the result coach We Sungwoo expected from his team, which showed a lot of promise going into the WOQT. Now they go back to the drawing board and wait for four more years, while continental rivals China revel in their renewed opportunity to fight for an Olympic medal.
Enzo Flojo
FIBA
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