The Chinese women's basketball team is currently at the end of the group stage of the Women's Basketball Olympic preliminary round, and the final game will face old rival Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rico women's basketball team has made amazing progress in recent years and has become a powerhouse in the Americas. After narrowly defeating New Zealand in the previous round, Puerto Rico successfully qualified for the Olympic Games, and also helped the Chinese women's basketball team enter the first round early, making this game a battle of honor without the pressure of qualifying. Both sides hope to end the game on a successful note, especially the Chinese women's basketball team, eager to get out of the slump as soon as possible through victory.
February** Dynamic Incentive Program
In the first half of the game, Zheng Wei, the head coach of the Chinese women's basketball team, adopted a new tactic and promoted Zhang Ru to the starting lineup, aiming to limit the play of the opponent's core player Girantes. Although the offensive performance of the Chinese women's basketball team was uneven, it successfully constrained Puerto Rico's play through Han Xu's threat on the inside and Zhang Ru's excellent performance on the outside. In addition, Li Yueru and other players actively competed for rebounds, forcing the opponent's ace player on the inside line, Holinheed, to go off the court early due to fouls. However, the Chinese women's basketball team was slightly aberrated in terms of free throws, making only 14 of 24 free throws in the first half, losing 10 points. If the whole team can play more consistently, the point difference may be even greater. Still, with a 54-34 lead, it was already a satisfying start. Coach Zheng Wei has been rotating personnel to be fully prepared for the next games.
The third quarter kicked off, Wang Siyu hit a three-pointer, then Zhang Ru received a pass from Li Meng, Han Xu's jumper was intercepted by the opponent, but Huang Sijing deftly scrambled for a rebound and successfully scored, and the Chinese team played a strong 9-0 offensive wave, forcing the Puerto Rico team to ask for a timeout. Melendez's three-pointer halted China's decline, but Wang Siyu's misguided pass and Huang Sijing's three-pointer kept China in the lead. Wang Siyu's shot missed, but Li Yuan cleverly passed the ball to Li Yueru, and at the same time, Yang Liwei managed to contain Gilantes. Defensively, Li Yueru managed to complete an excellent block, while Li Meng contributed to the Chinese team again with a difficult counterattack score and a step-by-step three-point shot.
After receiving the ball, Li Yueru quickly scored a layup, showing her excellent level of performance. Yang Liwei showed off his signature jumper skills and contributed key points to the team. Li Meng received the ball on the inside and completed a beautiful 2+1, which opened up the score gap for the team. Vargas ended up scoring for the Puerto Rico team, which boosted the team's morale. Smith showed solid jump shooting skills and accumulated valuable points for the team. Li Yuan shot from a distance and hit a three-pointer accurately. Yang Shuyu's breakthrough success created offensive opportunities for the team. Li Yueru is comfortable in mid-range shooting. Although Puerto Rico were trailing by a wide margin in the game, they showed some signs of urgency. By the end of the third quarter, the Chinese team led with a single quarter score of 33-8, and the overall score reached 87-42, firmly in the lead.
At the start of the final bout, Yang Shuyu tried to make a personal breakthrough, but was successfully intercepted by his opponent. At the same time, Luo Xinqi actively looked for scoring opportunities under the basket. Despite Lee's clever feints, her shot appeared to be a bit rushed, resulting in back-to-back errors that provided the opponent with a chance to counter-attack. Yang Shuyu scored on a three-point shot, while Gilrantes showed excellent step-back shooting skills. Pan Zhenqi's empty basket exposed signs of declining defensive intensity in the Chinese team. Gilantes gradually showed strong scoring ability in the game, while Yang Shuyu fouled while attacking. Gilrantes scored again with a step-back shot. Li Yueru was penalized for an offensive foul, and Puerto Rico's full-court pressing came into play. In a fast break, Pan Zhenqi cleverly used rebounds to complete the score, while Gilrantes successfully completed a 2+1 score in a two-on-one attack.
Luo showed a strong scoring ability, and she managed to score an excellent score thanks to a precise pass from Li Yuan. She then faced a counter-attack, but the fight continued. Li Yueru grabbed a key rebound in the frontcourt and successfully put the ball into the basket. However, while receiving the ball, Luo Xinqian made a mistake and won the opponent a free throw. The tacit cooperation between Li Yuan and Li Yueru created many scoring opportunities for the team. Smith showed his strength in the confrontation, teaming up with Luo Xinqi to score on the final offense. At the end of the game, the Chinese women's basketball team defeated Puerto Rico 105-69, Li Meng easily contributed 23 points, and Li Yueru's performance was even more eye-catching, with 22 points and 23 rebounds, the Chinese women's basketball team is showing the momentum of returning to the top.