ESSEN, Germany, July 23 (Xinhua) — China defeated Poland 71-67 after overtime to reach the women's basketball final at the Rhine-Ruhr World University Games on Wednesday.
China will face the United States, who edged Hungary 73-71 in the other semifinal, for the championship on Friday.
Chinese guard Tian Yuanyuan emerged as the hero, scoring all seven of her points in overtime after the two teams were tied 62-62 at the end of regulation.
China's small forward Chen Yujie shot nine of 14 for a game-high 24 points, including four of five from beyond the arc. Center Liu Yutong and power forward Tang Zhiting added 14 points apiece.
Poland's shooting guard Magdalena Szymkiewicz led her side with 13 points, while 2.01-meter center Kamila Borkowska contributed 12.
China started strong, jumping out to a 15-7 lead after Liu, Chen and Tang hit back-to-back 3-pointers, prompting Poland's coach to call a timeout with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Poland responded with a 26-11 run to take a 33-26 halftime lead.
China surged back in the third quarter with an 11-0 run to go ahead 37-33 midway through the period. Poland answered with a 10-0 run of its own, capped by two free throws and a layup from Anna Winkowska, to take a 48-45 lead into the fourth.
Li Xingnuo opened the final quarter with a 3-pointer to level the game at 48-48. The teams traded baskets down the stretch, tying at 58-58 with 1:50 to play.
Szymkiewicz gave Poland a 60-58 lead with two free throws, but China responded with four straight points on a pair of layups. Poland's Julia Piestrzynska attacked the basket to tie it 62-62. After Li's missed 3-pointer, the game went to overtime.
Poland managed just three points in the extra period, falling behind 69-65 with 18 seconds remaining. A timeout and late foul strategy couldn't prevent China from sealing the 71-67 win.
"We have tired legs after yesterday's hard-fought quarterfinal win against Japan, so you could see we only scored a few points in the second quarter," said Chinese coach Zhao Xuetong.
"In the halftime break, I told the players to play as we planned and don't think much about the result. To tell the truth, we have already reached where we expect before the Games," added Zhao. "Reaching the last four is OK for us, so everyone is relaxed mentally."
(Source: Xinhua)
Editor: Wang Shasha
