NAGOYA, Japan, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese women's 3x3 basketball team opened its title defense with back-to-back victories in group play at the Asian Games on Tuesday, while the Chinese men split their opening two matches.
The Chinese men dropped a tight 18-15 game to Iran in their opener. Ma Diancheng led China with a team-high nine points and seven rebounds, but Iran out-rebounded China 21-11.
"It was good, they (China) play really well. We went up by five points, they managed to come back, but we still controlled the game," Mohammadbasir Momeni of Iran said after the game.
"Rebounds, it was all about the rebounds. Giving up 10 rebounds is like giving away 10 extra possessions," Ma said.
China bounced back in its second game against Malaysia. After the teams were tied 7-7 early, China mounted several scoring runs to pull away, capped by Liu Qianhao's long-range shot to seal a 22-14 victory and its first win of the tournament.
Liu recorded eight points and three rebounds, while Ma added seven points and seven boards.
"We came out with high energy right from the start, setting the tone on defense and attacking their offensive glass," Ma said after the win.
"We didn't come here for sightseeing. Our goal is to go all-out and fight for the gold medal," Ma added.
As defending champion, Chinese women's team opened their campaign with an 18-12 win over Kazakhstan.
China stormed out to a 6-0 lead before Kazakhstan rallied to trim the deficit to two points. Key baskets down the stretch from Li Wenxia and Zhang Jianping restored the padding to secure the opening win.
Zhang had seven points and five rebounds, while Li finished with five points and four rebounds.
In their second game, the Chinese women dominated Qatar in a blowout 21-3 victory to stay undefeated.
At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, the Chinese women defeated Mongolia 21-12 in the final to claim gold, whereas the men's team was eliminated in the quarterfinals following a 22-15 loss to Chinese Taipei.
Under the tournament format, 16 teams in both the men's and women's divisions are split into four groups. The top team from each group advances directly to the quarterfinals, while the second and third place teams crossover in a playoff round to contend for the remaining four quarterfinal spots. ■
