The game was a nail-biter in the first 20 minutes, with neither side able to establish a lead larger than one point in front of a capacity crowd at the Kai Tak Arena which comprised mostly of home supporters.
But Beijing then took advantage of Hong Kong’s turnovers, while using their height and strength to build a 15-11 lead into half-time.
The SAR managed only four saves on Beijing’s 19 first-half attempts, with Beijing’s goalie Liu Maike making save after save on the other hand.
Team Beijing managed to extend their lead to 10 early in the second half, thanks in part to a strong showing from pivot Wu Hao, who scored five for the game and was named Beijing’s most valuable player.
Hong Kong mounted a second-half comeback behind tremendous goalkeeping by reserve Wong Ling-chung, but the home side were only able to cut the deficit to six at one point.
As the clock wound down and the bronze medal slipped away, several players from the SAR still appeared to enjoy the game as much as the fans did, who cheered “We are Hong Kong” all the way until the final whistle.
The SAR’s own pivot, Wong Kin, scored on all six of his shot attempts, and was named the home side’s most valuable player.
Hong Kong was unable to pounce on three sin-bins for Beijing, whose strong interior defence was evident throughout the game.
Still, it was the best-ever result at the National Games for the SAR, who had never reached the semi-finals before this year.
