NANTES (2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - China on Monday opened their 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) Group D campaign with a 77-59 win over Venezuela.

Sun Mengxin sparked China with 13 points before the break en route to a team-high 21 points, while Shao Ting added 14. Waleska Perez led Venezuela with a game-best 23 points.

Turning Point: The South Americans led for the first five minutes of the contest, but Huang Hongpin's two free-throws gave China their first lead (10-9) and they never trailed again, closing the first half with a comfortable 42-24 lead. 

Stats Don't Lie:  China's dominance in the paint proved the difference between the two teams as the East Asians finished with a 56-42 rebounding advantage.  

Game Hero: Sun Mengxin came off the bench to change the course of the game for good for China. As the East Asians had a slow start to the game, the 1.90m forward inspired her team by hitting 8 of her 12 field goal attempts in 22 minutes of play.  

The Bottom Line: With the win, China reminded everyone why they're a candidate to secure one of the five tickets on offer for the Rio Olympics. Tom Maher's team led for all but 5:36 minutes of the game and led by as many as 31 points, leaving Venezuela helpless.  

FIBA