CHINA completed a three-game Sino-Australian Basketball Challenge on Saturday with a 92-73 win over an Australian All-Stars team.
In front of 4,000 fans at Yinchuan Gymnasium in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China was led by five players scoring double digits, with Wang Zhizhi on 15 points, Yi Jianlian and Wang Shipeng 14 apiece, Zhang Qinpeng 11 and Li Xiaoxu 10.
China had trailed 11 points, 16-27 in the second quarter, but narrowed the gap to 40-41 in the second half. Zhang Qingpeng’s three-pointer, however, put the hosts ahead 49-48. Injured Zhu Fangyu, who was a starter in the Chinese Olympic Team, returned after being sidelined with an injury for two months and scored the first six points of China’s comeback surge.
Hu Xuefeng finished the third quarter with a three-pointer, giving China a 66-57 lead after a 14-2 run. “We defended well and improved our accuracy in the second half,” Chinese coach Guo Shipeng said. (Xinhua)