'Korean Women's Basketball Caught Off Guard' China Furious! 'Did They Really Take 13 Three-Pointers and Make Zero?' [Aichi Nagoya AG]

*This content was translated by AI.

As the Korean women's basketball team advanced to the finals by defeating China's "Great Wall," China, now exposed, could not hide its shock and anger over a devastating "outer-court silence."

On the 25th, Chinese media outlet Sohu.com heavily criticized the situation after China's Yeo Ja-nong-gu (CEO) team lost 80-85 to South Korea in the women's basketball semifinals at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, missing out on a finals berth. The outlet focused intensely on China's dismal three-point shooting record and the coach's unconvincing explanation.

The decisive blow in China's defeat was undoubtedly their abysmal outside shooting. Throughout the game, China attempted 13 three-pointers but failed to make even one. This resulted in a humiliating 0% success rate. Wang Siwei missed all four of her attempts; Yang Shuwei (3), Zhang Manman (2), Luo Xinwei (2), Tang Ziting (1), and Zha Saiqi (1) — every guard and forward on the roster — remained silent. Even Sun Wei did not dare to attempt a shot from beyond the arc. In contrast, South Korea attempted 41 three-pointers and made 12. Although their success rate of 29% was relatively low, they scored 36 points solely through three-pointers.

Sohu.com also highlighted this aspect, stating, "The Chinese women's national team has undergone extremely rigorous three-point shooting training, even chanting the slogan '10,000 shots.' Yet, did all that grueling training result in just 13 attempts with zero hits? One cannot help but question how their training was conducted."

Immediately after the game, head coach Gong Luming's explanation during the official press conference further inflamed local public opinion. When asked by reporters about the disconnect between China's complete three-point failure and modern basketball trends, the coach responded, "We cannot judge everything based on a single game. Today's match was somewhat special."

He continued, "We believed we had a clear advantage inside the paint, so we slowed down the tempo to leverage our interior strength. We intended to run in-and-out plays, but once the ball entered the paint, it did not exit smoothly, and we faced significant difficulties due to South Korea's aggressive defensive pressure."

Regarding the lack of three-point shooting, Coach Gong Luming stated, "While global trends are important, a team must have the appropriate talent and skills to build its style. Tactics should be adapted to the team's reality," effectively pointing to a lack of player quality as the cause.

However, Sohu.com directly refuted the coach's excuses. The outlet noted, "While the coach's words may have some merit, it is not true that China's national team lacks shooting talent to the extent of making only one out of 13 three-point attempts."

The outlet particularly criticized the decision to bench Deng Yuting, who had shown sharp three-point shooting skills in earlier exhibition games and was expected as the primary outside option for the team. "Was this due to a decline in the player's ability, or was it a tactical blunder and stubbornness by the coaching staff? It is not that China lacks players capable of shooting; rather, the coach failed to utilize them properly," they expressed their fury.

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*This content was translated by AI.