China finishes fourth in EABA Championship

NAGANO, Japan, June 7 (Xinhua) -- China lost to Japan 58-76 here on Wednesday, finishing fourth place at the 2017 East Asia Basketball Association (EABA) Championship for Men.

Japan took the lead early and built a 26-9 advantage before entering into the second quarter.

China focused on defense and cut the gap 20-35 at half break, but failed to even the score after a more or less tied second half, with Japan leading the third quarter 22-21 and the fourth quarter 19-17.

Chinese player Zhao Yanhao scored a game-high 20 points, and Hu Jinqiu contributed 14 points and 13 rebounds.

In another game here on Wednesday, Chinese Taipei beat South Korea 77-64 to win its first EABA championship.

The EABA Championship for Men 2017 ran from June 3-7 in Nagano, Japan.

The top five finishers in the six-team tournament will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon in August.