CHN/JPN - China use strong second half to dismantle Japan and take gold

SURAT THANI (2010 FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women) - China scored a convincing 122-78 win over Japan to take gold at the 2010 FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Women.

This was a measure of revenge for China as they had lost in the preliminary round against the Japanese.

The game was close early on, with the teams evenly matched, but China made their move late in the first quarter, using an 11-4 run to go up 30-21.

Japan ran off nine unanswered points at the start of the second period to tie the game at 40, but their opponents answered right back, tightening their defense and scoring 10 consecutive points for a 50-42 halftime lead.

China would blow the game wide open after the break, outscoring Japan 38-10 in the third quarter and 72-36 overall in the entire second half to finish with a 44-point margin of victory.

Gao Song, a member of China's team at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in 2009, made 16 of 22 shots on her way to a game-high 37 points.

Team-mate Yu Dong added 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounsd.

"We played at our best today," China head coach Wang Guizhi said afterwards. "The girls had told themselves to give it their best shot and it worked for us.

"It's a tribute to their skills and smartness They played remarkably and handled the pressure very well."

Saki Kaneahara paced Japan with 14 points.

The defeat for Japan head coach Tatsushi Isshiki was the first in two years after winning 13 games in a row, including the 73-72 win over China, on the opening day in Surat Thani.

In the third-place game, Chinese Taipei beat Korea 78-54 to take its first medal in the competition since 2002.

China, Japan and Chinese Taipei have all booked their places for the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women to be held from 20th to 30th July in Chile next year.

FIBA Asia