China crowned women's basketball champs at Asiad

JAKARTA - The Chinese women's basketball team claimed their sixth title at the Asian Games after edging the Unified Korea team 71-65 in the final here on Saturday.

China took ten points in a row in the first three minutes, but later the Unified Korea team managed to fight back, with WNBA player Park Ji-su and 38-year-old Lim Yung hui scoring eight points respectively, they narrowed the gap to 22-23 by the end of the first quarter. The Unified Korea team tied China 32-32 in the second quarter, then the two teams'scores seasawed to 38-38 after the first half of the match.

At the beginning of the third quarter, team China was surpassed by a Unified Korea team 38-40 for the first time. China bounced back with Han Xu and Li Yuan's two-pointers, edging Unified Korea 58-53 at the end of the third quarter.

At the key moment of China's 64-61 lead, Li Yueru scored a crucial two-pointer to widen the gap, giving China the victory, 71-65.

Captain Shao Ting had a team-high 17 points, Li Meng and Li Yueru also bagged double-digit scores.

Four years ago, China lost to South Korea in Incheon in the final, missing out on the gold medal.

"Shao Ting played a crucial role as team leader, but she still needs improvement in the future," said coach Xu Limin.

"We didn't expect to win this gold medal before, I am so lucky to have such many young and talented players in the team, such as Li Yuan and Li Yueru, they are very promising. I will do anything I can to help the team reaching a higher level, even the Olympic podium," he added.