FIBA Asia Cup 2025: India fall to China in second group C clash

The Indian men’s basketball team endured a tough 100-69 loss to China in their second Group C match at the FIBA Asia Cup 2025, held at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday.

After a valiant effort against Jordan in their opener, where they narrowly missed a major upset, India (world No. 76) couldn’t hold off 16-time champions China (world No. 30), who extended their unbeaten run in the group.

Sahaij Sekhon led India’s scoring with 14 points, but the Chinese duo of Mingxuan Hu and Jiayi Zhao, both contributing 17 points, steered their side to a dominant win.

Palpreet Singh Brar opened India’s scoring with a quick two-pointer, but the early momentum quickly shifted as China went on a 12-point run. India ended the first quarter trailing 29-14 and went into half-time behind 53-31.

Despite flashes of resilience, India couldn’t bridge the gap in the second half. China asserted their dominance with a well-rounded performance and secured their second straight win after an opening victory over hosts Saudi Arabia.

This result marks India’s fifth loss in five games against China in FIBA Asia Cup history. Their last win in the tournament came back in 2015, underscoring the challenges the team has faced in recent editions. India finished 14th in 2017 (Lebanon) and 16th in 2022 (Indonesia), with their best-ever finish being fourth in 1975.

India now face a must-win situation in their final group game against Saudi Arabia (world No. 65) on Saturday. A defeat would knock them out of the tournament at the group stage.

In the FIBA Asia Cup format, group winners proceed directly to the quarter-finals. The second and third-placed teams compete in additional qualification matches to determine who joins them in the last eight.