NINGBO, China, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Six players scored in double figures as China led from the jump en route to a 107-73 rout of North America in the 2019 Sino-North American Women's International Basketball Challenge here on Friday.
China mounted a 22-point advantage into the halftime, and were never really contested back from the locker room.
China outrebounded North America 57-33, and overshadowed opponents 27-8 in assists.
Li Yueru led China's score sheet with 16 points. Gao Song and Li Meng added 14 and 13 respectively.
"We executed what the coach had told us before the match, especially in fast breaks," said Li Yueru.
Chinese players patiently traded passes to feed Li Yueru's easy baskets in the paint, and the starting center scored 10 points on 5 of 6 shots in the first period.
Li Meng hit a quick three-pointer after stepping from the bench. The hosts improved defense thereafter for going ahead 33-19 as the quarter expired.
Wang Siyu scored five straight points into the second quarter, before Li Yuan extended China's advantage to 20 points with a shot beyond the arc.
"We didn't control the match quite well at the start, but made improvement as the time went on. We carried out what we had trained in this match," commented China's head coach Xu Limin.
"China is a very strong and disciplined team. They are on the right track to be successful. It's really difficult for us to match their speed. But we are going to adjust some strategies to really challenge them and make sure that we do what we are supposed to do," said Albena Branzova-Dimitrova, head coach of North America.
The two sides will meet again in Yichang, Hubei on Sunday in China's preparation for the Olympic pre-qualifying campaign from Nov. 14-17.
