China beats South Korea 77-73 at FIBA World Cup

"We needed the victory. We had lost a couple of games we shouldn't have, which had some negative impact. Hopefully we can gain confidence though this game," China coach Li Nan said.

"We played a really tough game, losing the game because we lost our focus in the last few minutes," said Kim Sun-hyung, who had 14 points for South Korea.

Zhao Rui and Guo scored 16 points apiece, while Zhou Qi had 13 points and 14 rebounds. Ra made 21 points and Kim had 14 for South Korea.

After the tip-off, Zhou assisted Zhai Xiaochuan for a jumper to open the scoring for China who moved ahead 7-2. Lee scored a 3-pointer, Ra made a 3-point play to help South Korea lead 12-9, before Zhao and Sun Minghui combined six points for China that led 19-18 in the first quarter.