China Advances into Semi-finals on Cost of RussiaChina claimed the semi-finals berth as the second place alongside with the United States on Wednesday by thrashing Russia at the Beijing Students Stadium in the Universiade.The hosts set the tone of the game from the very start, leading by 24-8 in the first quarter, and rolled the game under their control to finish second in the group. Center Chen Nan scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for China while guard Miao Lijie added 13 points. "We executed good fast-breaks and never gave up on the rebounds. It's a fast game which we took the control," said Chinese head coach Gong Luming. Russian coach Berline David said the reason of the loss is the injury of playmaker Ouga Naymushina and Ekaterina Lebedeva. "They are the key players of our team but the injuries cost us a lot," David said. Naymushina played 25 minutes but 0-6 in the field without scores, while Lebedeva had just two points. "China are so good today. They gave us the best game in the tournament," David added. In an earlier match at the stadium, the United States slashed Brazil to top the group at the second round. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |