Ricardo Ratliffe has proven to Filipino fans that he can dominate, as he helped the Magnolia Hotshots reach the semifinals of the 2017 PBA Commissioner's Cup. Now, he's ready to show the entire region exactly what he can do on the court.
Playing his third game in the FIBA Asian Qualifiers after being naturalized by South Korea, Ratliffe gave China fits as he scattered 25 points and 11 rebounds in nearly 37 minutes to lift Korea to an 82-74 victory in Shenzhen.
It was sweet payback for the Koreans as they were beaten 92-81 at home by China in the first meeting between the two teams.
With the win, South Korea upped their record to 3-2, matching China and staying close to New Zealand at 4-1.
The Koreans were only up 42-39 at the half but pulled away in the second half.
Ratliffe had 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists in the third period to spearhead a 24-10 lead for South Korea as they enjoyed a huge 17-point lead, 66-49, heading into the final period.
Jiwei Zhao tried to rally China in the final period and they managed to cut their deficit down to just five points, 77-72, with 56 seconds remaining. However, Lee Junghyun responded with a dagger triple on the next play to seal the deal for South Korea.
Ratliffe was backed up by Heo Ung with 16 markers while Lee Junghyun and Lee Seounghyun added a combined 20 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.
China's attack, on the other end, was spearheaded by Abudushalamu Abudurexiti, who will be joining the Golden State Warriors for the 2018 NBA Summer League. He had a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Zhao added 13 points, anchored on three triples.
The Koreans will be closing out the first group stage of the FIBA Asian Qualifiers with a game against Hong Kong while China will try to bounce back against New Zealand, both on July 1.