Fiba Asia: China edges Jordan to get crack at fifth place

YI Jianlian vs Jimmy Baxter and Mohammad Hussein NUKI SABIO / PBA IMAGES

MANILA, Philippines—In a battle of 2013 finalists for a spot in the fifth place tiff, China survived a barrage of triples from Jordan for a 79-76 win Saturday in the 27th Fiba Asia men’s championships.

Wang Zhizhi put the Chinese in front with an and-one play with 44.4 seconds left, 76-74, after the Jordanians unleashed to four straight treys to get the lead for the first time.

The veteran campaigner Wang scored 12 of his tournament-high 33 markers in the fourth for China, which yielded its Asian title to Chinese-Taipei after an uninspired play on Friday.

Yi Jianlian added 18 markers, four rebounds and five assists, including a perfect set-up to Wang for the go-ahead three-point play.

China faces the winner of Kazakhstan-Qatar match for the fifth spot on Sunday.

Jordan, meanwhile, will have to settle for seventh or eighth place.

Wesam Al-Sous churned out 17 points, sparking his squad’s fourth quarter resistance as he swished three treys from all corners in the last 3:23 of the game.

Jimmy Baxter added 13 points and eight dimes but botched an undergoal stab with 22 ticks to go which could’ve tied the game at 76.