BERLIN, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Han Xu recorded 19 points and 10 rebounds as China secured second place in Group D with a commanding 71-51 victory over Italy at the FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup on Monday.
Having already assured itself of a place in the qualification for quarterfinals, China claimed its second consecutive victory following an overtime win over Czechia. It will face Puerto Rico on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to meet France in the quarterfinals.
China led for all but the opening 21 seconds and seized control with an 11-0 run spanning the first two quarters.
Zhang Ziyu was instrumental in the surge, scoring eight points on perfect shooting from the field as China established an 18-point lead.
Han proved China's most consistent scoring option, converting eight of her 11 attempts from the field, including both shots from beyond the arc, while also controlling the boards.
China took a 40-21 lead into halftime and scored the first six points after the restart, extending the margin to as many as 25 points with 8:02 remaining in the third quarter.
Italy then scored 10 unanswered points to cut the deficit to 46-31. The Italians closed within 12 points later in the period, but China regained control with a 6-0 run early in the fourth quarter and cruised to victory.
Yang Shuyu added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists in a team-high 33 minutes, while Wang Siyu contributed five points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals.
Matilde Villa led Italy with 15 points on six-of-11 shooting. China led for 39 minutes and 39 seconds, while Han posted a game-high efficiency rating of 24 in just over 30 minutes on court.
China completed the group phase with two wins from three games. Third-placed Italy will meet Australia on Wednesday, and the winner will face Spain in the quarterfinals. ■
