Even with its World Cup ticket secured, the Chinese women's basketball team has little to brag about, as it caps off its qualifying campaign for the FIBA showpiece following a sobering reminder of the tall task lying ahead.

As obvious as its towering strength in the paint, the squad's overall lack of pace, intensity and finesse on its back court has been fully exposed during the homecourt Cup qualifying tournament in the Hubei provincial capital of Wuhan.

Although it has already clinched a qualification spot with one game to spare, it's clear that the rebuild for the Cup finals in September still has some way to go.

The host squad — scheduled to play Brazil on Tuesday in its final game of the six-team qualifying tourney — has raised more concerns than expected with its sluggish performance, particularly on the perimeter, during its first four games where its size advantage failed to deliver on court benefits, suggesting that glory at the FIBA marquee tournament in Berlin will be a bit of a long shot.

Playing in a qualifying group featuring only one world-class contender in European champion Belgium, Team China's chances of snatching up one of three Cup finals tickets up for grabs in Wuhan were never in doubt, yet the process, even during victories over African underdogs Mali and South Sudan, has proved anything but a reassuringly smooth ride.

The team's sizeable assets, WNBA-caliber post players Han Xu and Li Yueru, as well as 2.20-meter-tall young center Zhang Ziyu, remain an intimidating threat only on paper, with the lack of talent in the guard and forward positions neutralizing its own strength in the paint.

This imbalance, already exposed in its 81-68 opening win against Mali, was totally exploited by powerhouse Belgium in an 80-65 rout on Thursday.

The back-to-back EuroBasket winner dictated the play throughout four quarters with its sharp shooting, 42.9 percent from the three-point line and fluid transition play, highlighted by 29 assists at the expense of just 12 turnovers, mitigating against the host's size advantage with a fast-paced, high-intensity game.

Shooting at only 18.8 percent beyond the arc, Team China's backcourt woes, which had been exposed in its disappointing semifinal loss to Japan at last year's Asia Cup in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, allowed Belgium to deploy double, or even triple, teams against China's Han, Li and Zhang, effectively neutralizing the threat of the "triple towers" near the basket.

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The starting duo of Han, a former New York Liberty reserve center, and Li, who played last WNBA season for the Dallas Wings, struggled in the face of the tussle and hustle of the smaller, yet aggressive, Belgian defenders, combining for a mere 13 points on 5-of-20 shooting in the loss, way below their own standards.

Despite the 18-year-old Zhang's productive 20-point performance, Belgium's game plan of attacking China's guards and forwards, underlined by forcing the host to turn the ball over 19 times, largely due to errant passes and rushed decisions, has provided a worrying glimpse of tougher challenges awaiting Team China at the Cup finals in six months' time.

After picking up its pace in a relatively easy win against South Sudan on Saturday, the host had to overcome another scare in its penultimate game against the Czech Republic on Sunday, when its 6-for-21 three-point shooting (28.6 percent) allowed another physical European opponent to tighten it up in the paint.

Although eventually pulling off an 84-74 victory relying on veteran guard Wang Siyu's clutch play in the dying minutes, Team China once again saw its front-court advantage nullified, with the trio of Han, Li and Zhang only combining for 25 points and 10 rebounds.

The Czech squad even grabbed nine offensive rebounds more than Team China, and scored 20 points from second chances in the game, 15 more than the host, which, with an average height of 1.90 meters, boasts the tallest roster among all qualification contenders.

China's head coach Gong Luming said the bumpy ride in the qualifiers was as helpful as he'd expected for a young team in the midst of a rebuild.

"Everyone knows we have our strength in the paint and our weakness on the perimeter and we couldn't hide from it," Gong said after the loss to Belgium.

"The tournament has been a valuable test for us, particularly for our young guards who are experiencing some ups and downs, which to me seems quite normal.

"Our weakness in playmaking, especially passing and transition play from our guards, can be improved if we keep learning from world-class opponents, such as Belgium, on the international stage.

"We have a huge challenge to prepare ourselves for the World Cup and we are trying to make every step on our journey count," said Gong, who led Team China to three consecutive Asian titles from 2001-03 during his first stint at the helm of the women's squad.

Yang Liwei, captain of China's 2022 World Cup runner-up team, said she's never lost faith in the squad despite the current decline, insisting that only by grinding on the international stage can her younger compatriots mature quickly.

"I still have confidence in this unit, although they are currently struggling," said the 31-year-old point guard, who was not selected by Gong for the qualifiers.

READ MORE: China notches opening win over Mali in FIBA Women's World Cup qualifiers

"To prepare for major international events, such as the World Cup and the Olympics, with a long-term national training camp like we did, perhaps, isn't the most effective way anymore," said Yang, who was offered a tryout contract by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2023, but had to turn it down due to national team duty.

"I'd like to see more young players challenge themselves in high-level overseas leagues and improve their individual games first."