China starts Diamond Ball with win

Yao shot 80% from the field for China (Photo credit: CFP)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, July 30) -- Although Angola led by as many as eight points in the first half, China was led by NBA star Yao Ming and guard Liu Wei to an 83-74 victory in the opening night of the FIBA Diamond Ball for Men, on July 29 in Nanjing, China's Jiangsu province.

Angola's forward Olimpio Cipriano led the night's scoring at 24 points, but Yao came in just behind with 21 points on an 80% shooting accuracy. Although the Houston Rockets center was called for an unsportsmanlike foul while fighting for position against Eduardo Mingas, he was a big reason why China took this game, playing 29 minutes and allowing his team to rely heavily on his inside scoring.

Forward Joaquim Gomes tied Yao for 21 points on the Angola side, but beat him on rebounds, crashing the boards for eight as opposed to Yao's five.

China guard Liu led the game with six assists, and scored nine points in the first half along with his teammate Wang Shipeng to give China the lead 40-37 at the break. Although there were times late in the second half where China still only enjoyed a narrow three point lead, they clinched their win with solid defense and four players dropping their shots for double digit scoring: Yao, guards Liu for 18 and Wang for 13, and NBA forward Yi Jianlian with 11 points and six rebounds.

Angola and China last met in day three of the round-robin FIBA Stankovic Cup series in Hangzhou, where Angola squeaked by for a 72-71 win. Both teams will compete in group B in the Olympic Men's Basketball tournament this August.