Sun Haoqin carries China in rout of New Zealand

FOSHAN (FIBA U16 Asia Championship) - China leaned on the scoring prowess of phenom Sun Haoqin to carry them into a lopsided 83-47 win over newcomer New Zealand on Day 3 of the FIBA U16 Asia Championship.

Sun delivered the goods for China, tossing in 29 points to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The 6ft 3in (1.91m) wingman played nearly the entire game with no relief, attempting a total of 38 field goals. It was well worth it, though, since they have earned a rest day before returning to action on Day 5 for the Quarter-Finals.

The hosts poured the heat early on against the Junior Tall Blacks, who had a lot of trouble dealing with China's size and length. The Chinese were very aggressive on defense, and it resulted in 21 total turnovers for New Zealand. China led early on, 21-10, after the first period and never looked back, building a lead as high as 42 points.

Other Chinese players who did well were Xierzhati Saimaiti with 17 points, while Aizimaiti Aizimaiti and Yang Ali each tallied 10 points. Starting center Jiao Boqiao went down with an injury in the first half and did not return.

On the other end, New Zealand's offense just didn't click throughout the game. They couldn't establish any rhythm and weren't really able to threaten after falling behind by double-digits. Mitchell Dance paced them with 14 points, but he shot 6-of-16 from the field.

New Zealand face Malaysia tomorrow in the Play-Offs, where the winner advances to the Quarter-Finals. China are assured of a spot in the Final 8 and are a win away from a berth in the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup.

FIBA