Wuhan, March 11 -- China kicked off its quest for a FIBA Women's World Cup spot with an 81-68 victory over Mali, while the Czech Republic crushed South Sudan 89-52 here on Wednesday.
Starting center Han Xu scored China's first nine points, but it was not until Yang Shuyu's jumper with 3:30 remaining in the first quarter that China built its first lead of the game. Towering teenager Zhang Ziyu's layup at the buzzer ended the first quarter at 20-20.
Fielding Han and Li Yueru, both of whom just returned from overseas leagues, China had a 9-0 run at the start of the second quarter en route to a 35-29 halftime lead.
Rokia Doumbia made two consecutive 3-pointers as Mali pulled within 43-42 midway through the third quarter, while Yang helped st...