China women finish third in Diamond Ball

China beats Latvia 63-51. (Photo credit: CFP)Photo Gallery>>(BEIJING, August 5) -- China beat Latvia 63-51 on August 5 to finish in third place at the FIBA (International Basketball Federation) Diamond Ball for Women in Haining, China.

Miao Lijie of China was the game's high scorer with 14 points, while two teammates, Chen Xiaoli and Bian Lan, came in double digits with 13 points apiece and seven rebounds for center Chen. Latvia's biggest contributor, Ieva Kublina, scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds.

China set the pace from the beginning of the game by achieving a lead of eight points, ending the first quarter 19-11, and going to the break with an even bigger advantage, 34-21.

The second half began with both teams sluggish on the scoring, only 38-26 after nearly five minutes of play. Latvia ended up outscoring China in the second half, 30-29, but the lead gained in the first two quarters was too much to overcome. Latvia got within seven points of China's score in the fourth quarter, but the game ended 63-51 without Latvia ever once taking the lead.

Latvia's guard Anete Jekabsone-Zogota, one of the leading scorers in the tournament, was effectively contained by China, who no doubt was looking to keep her from racking up the same 34 points she had against Russia. In today's game she came in with single digits, nine points and three turnovers. Her shooting was clearly off, sinking only one of her five attempted threes and going 0-2 at the line. She still finished the tournament with an average 22.3 points per game.