One of the three hosts of the 2023 FIBA World Cup will not be able to field a team in the global meet.
Indonesia’s last hope of making it to the World Cup ended on Monday after being demolished by China, 108-58, in the quarterfinals of the Asia Cup at Istora Senayan in Jakarta.
The reigning Southeast Asian Games needed to crack the top eight to punch their ticket to the World Cup.
TIMNAS also were not able to qualify via the World Cup Qualifiers after finishing with a 0-6 record in Group C, losing twice to Lebanon (5-1), Jordan (4-2), and Saudi Arabia (3-3).
Unlike Gilas and the Akatsuki Five, FIBA did not allow automatic qualification for TIMNAS as it is just ranked 95 in the world.
This game might have showed how far Indonesia is in competing against one of the world’s best.
Behind Zhou Qi, China went on a 29-11 start and extended its lead to 59-21 at the half.
Zhou got 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field with nine rebounds in just 19 minutes of action.
Though Marques Bolden tried to spark the improbable in the third quarter, Du Feng’s men pounded Indonesia black and blue in the final frame much to the dismay of the home crowd.
Gu Quan led China with 23 points while Hu Mingxuan added 14 points. Sun Minghul also dished out 12 assists in the contest.
China will face Lebanon in the semis.
Bolden was a one-man show for Indonesia with 21 points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
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