By MARK REY MONTEJO

China’s Kyle Anderson was all smiles as China downed Angola, 83-76, to seal its first victory in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup classification round on Thursday, Aug. 31, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City.

Anderson was just elated after helping his team earn its first win in the World Cup at the expense of the Angolans. The victory also came as a relief after they received some harsh criticisms for dropping all their group stage assignments.

“It feels great, it's a tough competition (FIBA), I didn’t know how hard [and] tough the competition, I mean I knew, but to be part of seeing it first hand and get a win is really big for us, in our guys, our fans,” said Anderson, who registered 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes of action.

Also known as Li Kaier, Anderson is looking forward to their match against the Jordan Clarkson-led Gilas Pilipinas on Saturday, Sept. 2.

“One step at a time right now, let’s focus on what we're gonna do [against the] Philippines [first]. It's a process, we gotta take it one day at a time, it’s gonna be a tough road but we'll keep going,” Anderson said.

“Jordan [Clarkson] is an explosive scorer, he’s a really good player, they're gonna have the crowd on their side, I don’t think that record shows how good (of a) team they are. They're still a good team and they played with energy,” Anderson said.