Controversial Defeat for Chinese Women’s Basketball Against Spain: Attention on the Details and Li Yueru’s Outstanding Performance

On July 28th, in the first round of the Olympic women’s basketball group stage, China’s women’s basketball team suffered a close defeat to Spain with a score of 89-90, failing to secure the opening win. The match, which was highly anticipated, has sparked discussions among media figures post-game. Here is a summary of the insights:

Media figure Bie Lao Jiangbei Zhi Pig

“Sigh… it’s just very unfortunate. Actually, from pre-game planning to on-court performance, everything was quite good today. We pushed our strategies and effects to their limits against Spain. To be honest, considering the current real strength comparison, we wouldn’t normally beat Spain. Winning would be considered a bonus, but we were just a bit unlucky today, and also didn’t handle the details well.

“Don’t worry about Wang Siyu and Yang Liwei’s performance today. They did as much as they could under these circumstances. Those fouls in the last quarter, if you look at them in the past, they probably would have managed better. But now, they can’t control their bodies due to lack of strength in their legs. In the fourth quarter, Yang Liwei’s several defensive efforts ended up on the ground after touching the screen, and she was betting on the outcome.

“Losing by one point in the last 15 seconds… it’s brutal, but this is basketball. You must win by relying on yourself, not on opponents missing shots. It’s a pity, but this game is over now. Let’s focus on preparing for the next match for the women’s basketball team.”

Basketball commentator Wang Zixing wrote about the match:

“It’s heartbreaking to lose by just one point.”

Although the final score will count towards small points and there are still two more group stage matches left, losing a match that had enough opportunities to secure victory and watching the opponent turn the tables is still very hard to accept!

Basketball commentator Xu Jingyu commented:

What a pity! China’s women’s basketball team definitely has the capability. Li Yueru is a world-class center. I feel the most regrettable thing happened during overtime when she stepped out of bounds; if she hadn’t stepped out, the ball would have definitely gone in, and we would have won. Of course, Spain is a strong team, so wins and losses in such matches are normal. Keep going!

Media person Wang Shenwei commented:

Losing in such a way is really unfortunate. We were so close to winning, but we ended up witnessing the loss. The team had the chance to take the lead in regulation time and could have secured the opening win in the Paris Olympics.

I’m unsure why Han Xu didn’t play in overtime and spent most of the fourth quarter sitting on the bench. Also, the defense showed problems at the end, and no substitutions were made. Our biggest advantage in the paint was not utilized effectively with both centers on the court.

As for the strategy of not fouling when trailing by three points and playing for two points at the end, it’s hard to understand. Was this just to minimize the margin of defeat? What’s the difference between losing by one point and losing by three points?

Ma Suifeng:

The Chinese women’s basketball team fought hard throughout the game, losing due to numerous small mistakes. In the final moments of regulation time, we made mistakes in every defensive sequence, while in overtime, we lost by three points despite having a chance to win. Losing in this manner may be even more demoralizing than a 20-point loss because we almost had the victory.

Though we don’t want to admit it, the team’s performance today somewhat resembled that of the men’s team. This defeat in overtime might remind us of the loss in the Beijing Olympics back in 2008.

However, the game isn’t over yet, so let’s continue to support the team and hope they perform well in their upcoming matches. There’s still a chance for them!

Media person Qiuquan Zhao Tangzhang:

Our first match against Spain was a tough loss. It was painful and frustrating. If we had made one right choice at the end of regulation time, we would have won. But we made the wrong choices in every defensive sequence. Today, Li Yueru scored 31 points and grabbed 15 rebounds, showing godlike performance, but unfortunately, we lost the game. It’s really frustrating.

I thought today was supposed to be Li Yueru’s perfect career moment.

Media person @Yong Fangfang commented:

Why was the last play executed like that? I didn’t understand it… the opponent didn’t have any real strength advantage, just exploiting some tricks to turn the tables. This game was truly disappointing.

As someone who has watched some domestic women’s basketball league games, the level of competition and speed we see here are far from what international tournaments require. Our players lack consistent high-level matches, and the national team has relied heavily on recent warm-up games to find their rhythm. Entering the Olympic rhythm requires more time to adapt, which might explain the high number of errors in this game.

Speaking honestly, Li Yueru is currently the brightest star in Chinese basketball.

Li Yueru had an impressive game, scoring 31 points (nine out of 16 shots, one three-pointer, 12 out of 13 free throws), grabbing 15 rebounds, providing one assist, and blocking one shot.

Media person Sheng Zhe:

Chinese women’s basketball is running low on energy, and the victory that was within reach has slipped away.

Setting aside the confusing choices made at the end, let’s talk about the positives compared to the warm-up games.

We have a solid foundation in the paint. Xiao Bao is a true world-class center, scoring 12 out of 13 free throws in 33 minutes. Sun Mengran contributed crucial 5 points and defense in the third quarter. Han Xu’s performance improved in the second half. We won the rebound battle by 14 points.

Our three-point shooting was accurate. We made 9 out of 20 shots, maintaining a 50% success rate throughout the game.

Without these two aspects, the 23-9 turnover ratio might have been difficult to overcome.

For the upcoming matches, we need to think more urgently about how to distribute our energy and provide more support to the paint. It’s evident that the team members have been affected by injuries and are not in the best physical condition.

Keep pushing forward, it’s only the beginning.

Media person @Jiangnan Cheng wrote about the game:

This evening’s game proved that young players improve when they go abroad to play, as seen in Li Yueru’s performance. She played in the United States, returned to Paris for the Olympics, and carried the team single-handedly.

Su Qin:

“Xiao Bao did her best, but China’s women’s basketball team ran out of resources in the final moments, losing the position. This match against Spain held significant strategic importance. Winning meant almost securing a spot in the quarterfinals, while a loss introduced uncertainty. This game reflected the true situation of China’s women’s basketball team over the past few months, with Xiao Bao shining alone, while other key players like Han Xu, Li Meng, Huang Sijin, Yang Liwei, and Wang Siyu were not at their best due to various reasons.”