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China stuns Cuba in women's basketball tournament
Asian champions China stunned Cuba 74-69 to grab their second win at the 2005 International Women's Basketball Tournament here on Saturday.
The Asian champions, boosted by the thundering applause and cheers from the audience, outshone Cuba with a 25-13 lead in the first quarter. "We had a fantastic start. Chen Nan and Xiao Ni did really well tonight," said Tom Maher, coach of China, who thinks the team, especially the young players learned a lot from this game. Cuba, who almost stumbled the Athens Olympic silvers medallistsAustralia on Friday, began to find their pace in the second half, using solid defense to produce a series of steals for fast-breaks that put them ahead by 46-40 mid into the third quarter. Cuba's coach Armando Acosta Armas praised his team as well as the rivals, but attributed their failure to the unfairness of referees of this game. "We gave a good performance to the audience here, and both teams played really well and got improved during the past two games, but there were some unhappy moments in the game, and the unfairness of the referee ruined it." China used a 14-10 run to close the gap and both sides battled for 54-56 to enter the fourth quarter. Neither team could manage a lead more than two baskets until Zhan Fan made a three-pointer for China at 72-67 with 1:20 to go. China's star center Chen Nan nailed a jumper to seal the win for the host. After winning two consecutive games, China have proved they're not only the leading power in Asia, but a raising horse in the world. "To win the second game from this tournament is a happy thing for everyone in the team, and of course, including me. We had proved that we can not only play well in Asia, but also in the world level," said Maher, who just guided China taken their third Asian championship in June. Zhang Xiaoni grabbed 22 points and two rebounds to lead the host, while Chen Nan contributed 14 points and seven rebounds. Ye Li added 13 points and four rebounds. Tizon led Cuba with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Peillon added 18points and nine rebounds. The tournament features four teams, namely China, Russia, Australia and Cuba. China will take on Australia on Sunday. "We will face the really test tomorrow, and I am sure both teams will take
this game seriously," said Maher, who coached Australia two years
ago.
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