Yao, Bateer Lift China to Second Straight WinTwin tower centers Yao Ming and Menk Bateer led China to their second straight win on Saturday when they disposed off Qatar 87-58 in a Group A match at the Asian Championship.The 2.23-meter tall Yao Ming completely dominated the defense end with four blocks and three steals while added 12 points and 10 rebounds to China's Win. The 2.10-meter tall Bateer took the offense task to contribute 12 points and nine rebounds. Dallas Mavericks' center Wang Zhizhi added 10 points and four rebounds. Bateer, who had caught eyes of the NBA teams when the Chinese team preparing the competition in Dallas last month, had one of his best game in the national team though he had the least playing time of the three centers. Leading at only 38-29 in the first half, points guard Li Xiaoyong shot 4-4 from 3-pointer ace in the third quarter to roll the game when Yao Ming blocks Qatar's three shots on the other end of the court. But China, dubbed as "Dream Team in Asiad", trailed in most of the first quarter before they tied at 12-12 with 3^Qatar's top scorer Yasseen Ismail was suffocated by China's solid defense and had just 13 points. Forward Daoud Daoud had the game-high 25 points. China's Li led the team with 18 points. |
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