China ready to reach Quarter-Finals, says Sun Mengran

RIO DE JANEIRO (RIO 2016 Olympic Games) - Sun Mengran is feeling so comfortable at the Rio Olympics that she doesn't look like a first-time Olympian.

The 1.95m power forward's 10.5 points per game combined with her team-high 5.0 rebounds are what she describes as the result of an intense preparation to help China succeed in Rio de Janeiro. 

"The most important thing is that we can and will fight to reach the last eight." - Sun

Although China opened their Group B campaign with a loss to Canada, the 24-year-old says that was the beginning of a learning process. They beat Senegal in Day 2

Ahead of China's game against Spain on Wednesday, Sun talked to FIBA.com 

FIBA.com: For some reason, your national team has struggled to beat Spain. Dating back to 2014 you are 0-2. Is there any special technic that the Spanish possess that you can't cope with?
Sun: We have played Spain a couple of months ago in France [at the 2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament]. They are really tough to play against. They play smart basketball but I think we can beat them here in Rio.

FIBA.com: And how can you do that?
Sun: We have a good group of players. I think our togetherness is one of our strongest points. We are going to try to use this togetherness to win our next three Group Phase games. We had intense preparations to play well here in Rio.

FIBA.com: Your team is one of the tallest in the tournament. Can you get the most out of that?
Sun: Yes, the fact that we have taller players is an advantage for us. But our biggest advantage is our quickness to attack the basket. We have tall players who can run the floor. We are just trying to keep playing well, and compete to advance to the Quarter-Finals

FIBA.com: A couple of months ago you were thrilled when China secured one of five tickets for Rio. Now that you are here, what has the Olympics experience been like for you? 
Sun: I am happy to be here, I have made a lot of friends. It's really an open-eye experience for me. It's a great honour being an Olympian. The most important thing is that we can and will fight to reach the last eight.

FIBA.com: You will still play the USA in Group B. How do you look at that match-up? 
Sun: We are learning, we will keep our style of play, but we won't be afraid of anybody. I have watched one USA games, and they play high-level basketball. It'll be great to play them.

FIBA