Sports/Olympics / China
China fails to advance to quarterfinals
(Reuters)
Updated: 2006-08-27 21:16
SAITAMA, Japan - Greece overcame a terrible first quarter with an
impressive third period Sunday and advanced to the quarterfinals of the
basketball world championship with a 95-64 victory over China.
China's Yao Ming sits on the bench during their match against Greece at
the world basketball championships in Saitama August 27, 2006. [Reuters]
Greece (6-0) remained one of four unbeaten teams left in the tournament
by outscoring China 26-6 in the third quarter to take a 67-42 lead. That
10-minute performance was a far cry from the opening period when Greece
missed 16 of its first 19 shots in falling behind 18-11.
On Wednesday, Greece will make its fourth quarterfinal appearance in the
last five world championships, facing France (4-2), which beat Angola
68-62 in the second round.
Theodoros Papaloukas had 19 points for Greece, which committed just three
turnovers while forcing China (2-4) into 24.
Yao Ming, the 2.26-meter (7-foot-5) center who plays for the Houston
Rockets, had 10 points and eight rebounds for China. He was 3-for-5 from
the field and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Yao, who entered the game as the tournament's leading scorer with a 28.4
average, was unable to get the ball down low because his teammates
usually turned it over before they had a chance to even try to get it to
him. He had eight rebounds.
Greece followed its 3-for-19 start from the field by making 14 of its
next 17 shots in taking a 41-36 halftime lead.
Then as Greece started to play offensively the way it did in finishing
undefeated in group play as did the United States, Spain and Argentina,
China fell apart.
China had six points and nine turnovers in the third quarter. Yao's dunk
on an inbounds pass with 6:51 left in the third quarter were his final
points of the game and brought China within 46-40. Greece closed the
period with a 21-2 run with most of the points coming on breakaway layups
after turnovers.
Greece finished sixth in 1990 and fourth in 1994 and 1998. It did not
qualify for the 2002 worlds.
China, which lost its first three games in this tournament before winning
its last two to advance to the second round, was trying for its second
quarterfinal appearance. China was eighth in 1994 and 12th in 2002.
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