China Holds off Yugoslavia 72-65 at Women's Basketball Worlds

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Monday, September 16, 2002

China Holds off Yugoslavia 72-65 at Women's Basketball Worlds

Hosts China held off Yugoslavia 72-65 Sunday in Taicang to collect their first victory at the 14th Women's World Basketball Championship.

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China Holds off Yugoslavia 72-65 at Women's Basketball Worlds

Hosts China held off Yugoslavia 72-65 Sunday in Taicang to collect their first victory at the 14th Women's World Basketball Championship.

Trailing 72-59 with 4:21 left remaining, Yugoslavia cut the deficit to 72-65 following a 6-0 run in less than three minutes. However, Lara Mandic missed a three-pointer with 40 seconds left before China sealed the victory with tight defense rest of the way.

"We played very bad in the third quarter, we could not find our offense," said Yugoslavia head coach Miroslav Popov. "Only two of our players (Gordana Bogojevic and Mandic) played well tonight butthat was not enough."

"Anybody else didn't play very well," he added.

Bogojevic and Mandic combined for 36 points but they were Yugoslavia's only players to score more than ten points. In Yugoslavia's 94-66 rout of Group B opponents Senegal on Saturday, they had five players in double digits.

China held Yugoslavia to just one point in the opening seven minutes and 41 seconds of the third quarter and went into the final quarter 60-51 ahead thanks for a 18-5 run.

"We played better than yesterday," said Chinese captain Miao Lijie, who had 14 points, five assists and four rebounds. "We had good defense in the second half and that's very important."

Center Chen Nan led four Chinese women in double digits with 19points and 11 rebounds.

Bogojevic, who scored 22 points on Saturday, contributed 22 points in the first half to give the visitors a 46-42 lead. But she was totally stuffed in the last two quarters as China outscored Yugoslavia 30-19.

The Chinese, who lost to Brazil 85-73 on Saturday, will play their last Group B match against Senegal on Monday.

In Group D, South Korea, who outclassed Tunisia 124-70 on Saturday, beat Cuba 78-71 for their second consecutive win in two days.

Later on Sunday, Yugoslavia will play Senegal and Tunisia is to take on France.

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