Win keeps knockout hopes alive
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Coming off a narrow opening loss to Greece, China showed its determination to advance to the knockout rounds with an 83-73 defeat of Cote d'Ivoire on Sunday.
Washington Wizards forward Yi Jianlian matched his 26-point output from China's FIBA World Championships opener, while Wang Shipeng scored 25 points. Liu Wei added 12 points.
China struggled to get into its rhythm early in the first half and led 21-17 after the first quarter. Cote d'Ivoire relied on its heavy ball pressure and superior athleticism to briefly move into the lead before China took a 41-33 advantage into halftime.
Yi proved to be unstoppable in the third quarter, scoring nine points to extend the lead to 66-51. Cote d'Ivoire did not go away quietly, sticking close with a succession of 3-point shots and cutting the deficit to seven points with one minute to go, but China hit its free throws down the stretch to hold on and seal the victory.
China (1-1) has a day off on Monday before taking on Puerto Rico on Tuesday. The winner will likely be in pole position to take fourth place following Russia's 75-66 victory over Puerto Rico on Saturday. The top four in each group reach the next round.
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