China smashes Mongolia to advance to women's basketball semifinals

NAGOYA, Japan, Sept 24 (Xinhua) -- Sparked by a 21-0 run in the second quarter, the Chinese women's basketball team routed Mongolia 89-63 here on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.

The first quarter was a back-and-forth affair as Mongolia knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to keep the game close. China held a narrow 24-23 lead at the end of the period.

China took control in the second quarter. Behind the scoring of Zhang Ziyu and Yang Shuyu, China went on a 21-0 run and dominated the period 25-5 to build a 21-point halftime lead. It maintained a cushion of around 20 points for the remainder of the game.

Despite the comfortable win, China head coach Gong Luming was not completely satisfied with his team's performance.

"We didn't start well, which presents a rather sharp problem for us. Although we won the game and reached the final four, it will be very difficult to play well in the semifinals without a good start," Gong said.

"We were a bit slow to warm up, which is actually a major issue as we prepare for the upcoming games. We hope everyone will be in good form for the next game," Gong added.

Team leader Yang finished with a team-high 21 points. Zhang contributed 20 points and nine rebounds, while Sun Yu chipped in 12 points.

China will face South Korea in the semifinals on Friday.

"South Korea is an excellent team, and we have always prepared for them as a primary opponent. We believe tomorrow's game will definitely be a battle of wits, courage, strategy and execution," Gong said.