China grabs 1st FIBA WCup win
POWERHOUSES Serbia and Spain bagged their opening wins easily as hosts China snatched its first Group A win by beating Cote d’Ivoire 70-55 on Saturday at 2019 FIBA World Cup.
Serbia tamed Angola 105-59 in Group D as Bogdan Bogdanovic led Serbia’s scoring sheet with 24 points. Nikola Jokic and Nikola Milutinov scored 14 apiece. Serbia made 13 of 20 three-pointer shooting and outclassed Angola 32-7 in assists.
A crazy second half helped Spain trounce Tunisia 101-62 in Group C where six of Spain’s players scored double digits. Ricky Rubio had a game-high 17 points and Sergio Llull added 16. Salah Mejri scored 15 points for Tunisia.
With an 11-0 run in the beginning of the second half, Spain controlled the game and it flowed at a comfortable rhythm for the side. Spain increased the lead to 72-47 by the end of the third quarter. The game later turned into a slaughter as Spain kept scoring easy baskets in the fourth.
Yi Jianlian and Guo Ailun combined 36 points in China’s win over Cote d’Ivoire. The former Milwaukee Bucks player Yi led the scoring sheet with 19 points, 17 of which came from the second half, while Guo Ailun contributed 17 points and 9 assists for the host.
“We did a great job tonight. The tough defense of our rivalry caused us lots of trouble in the first half, but we were more concentrated in the second. Although we didn’t make many long range shots, we got better on both ends,” said Li Nan, the head coach of the Chinese side.
Other action saw Poland beat Venezuela 80-69 on Saturday, while Russia triumphed over Nigeria 82-77 in Group B. Mikhail Kulagin of Russia earned 16 points, Audrey Zubkov added 12, plus four assists and four rebounds for the winner. Nigeria’s Josh Okogie led the game with 18 points.
Puerto Rico came back from 19 points down to beat Iran 83-81 in the opening game of Group C. In Group D, Italy took control of the first quarter to seal a 10862 victory over the Philippines.
The crazy fourth quarter of 32-15 helped Australia to beat Canada 108-92 in Group H yesterday.
Australia scored a 7-0 run in the end of the first quarter with 29-20, and they widened the gap to 12 points, 52-40, after the second quarter.
With a great performance of 15-3, Canada equalized Australia in the beginning of the third quarter, then they led with 77-76 after the third quarter. Australia’s 8-0 run in the beginning of the last quarter help them seal the victory with a 108-92 final score.
Six Australia players hit double digits while Matthew Dellavedova pocketed a game-high 24 points. Canada’s Khem Birch from the Orlando Magic had a team-high 18 points.
Former NBA champion Leandrinho Barbosa led Brazil to a convincing 10294 victory over New Zealand to open its first round matches in FIBA Basketball World Cup yesterday.
The former Golden State Warriors’ player maintained his mojo and posted a match-leading 22 points. Brazil’s Cristiano Felicio protected the rim with 14 rebounds. New Zealand’s guard Corey Webster battled hard with 19 points.
Brazil’s guard Didi Louzada and NBA veteran Anderson Varejao showcased their aggressive attack to open the first quarter with three shots and a rim attack. But they soon were troubled by fouls which gave New Zealand the time to breathe with free throws to rally back. The match turned tenser in the second quarter as the Kiwis start to pour in three-pointers to lead 28-25. But Barbosa showed he’s still got gas with tough driving layups and jump shots to help his team in the game.
It was a 50-50 tie-game at the halfway stage but the Brazilians became ruthless and opened the second half with several three-pointers to put on a 16-2 burst to turn the match into a runaway. New Zealand could not keep pace and rally in the final minutes to hold off Brazil’s harsh attack and end up wilting to lose its first World Cup match. With a couple of current and former NBA players, Brazil is scheduled to play against one of the title favorites Greece, led by NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo, tomorrow.
(Xinhua)