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| Zhang Ziyu (center) [Xinhua/Zhu Zheng] |
BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — Teenage center Zhang Ziyu made an impressive professional league debut with 15 points off the bench as Shandong beat Shijiazhuang 106-93 in the 12th round of the 2025-26 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) season on Sunday.
Entering the game as a substitute, the 18-year-old went six of nine from the field and added six rebounds in 12 minutes of playing time.
The game was closely contested for much of the night before Shandong gradually pulled away to secure a comfortable win.
"Zhang adapts quickly and has a solid debut, but still needs time to adjust to the intensity of the WCBA," Shangdong head coach Hou Bing said after the game. "It will take time for our team to build chemisty and coordination."
Shandong sits second in the 12-team standings with a win-loss record of 8-4, while Shijiazhuang ranks ninth at 4-8.
Standing 2.26 meters tall, Zhang rose to fame at the FIBA U18 Women's Asia Cup in 2024, when she scored 42 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the final against Australia to earn tournament MVP honors.
She made her senior major tournament debut at the 2025 FIBA Women's Asia Cup, averaging 15.6 points and 5.6 rebounds as China finished third.
As the Chinese team has gathered in Beijing to prepare for the 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup qualifiers, Zhang was left out of the 15-woman squad by coach Gong Luming.
"Promising young players like Zhang Ziyu will get tested, improve themselves and gain experience in the WCBA league to better contribute to the Chinese women's basketball," said Gong.
(Source: Xinhua)
Editor: Wang Shasha
