Players of Inner Mongolia team celebrate scoring during the quarterfinal match between Inner Mongolia team and Zhejiang team at the 2020-2021 season Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) league in Bengbu of east China's Anhui Province, Dec. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Zhou Mu)
HEFEI, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- With four players scoring double digits, Inner Mongolia beat Zhejiang 101-72 in the quarterfinal of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) in Bengbu, east China's Anhui Province on Saturday, becoming the first team to enter the semifinals.
Despite the defeat, Zhejiang played to the best of their ability and gave a high-quality performance against the top-ranked side and title favorite Inner Mongolia, which boasts of four Chinese internationals.
Zhejiang scored only eight points in the first quarter. Inner Mongolia established a 34-point advantage with a 15-0 scoring run in the second quarter. But Zhejiang responded with two straight three-pointers and scored eight points in a row in response. The first half ended 58-28 in Inner Mongolia's favor.
National team center Li Yueru contributed a game-high 21 points and 15 rebounds in less than 27 minutes for Inner Mongolia. Huang Sijing had 18 points and nine rebounds.
Wang Haimei led Zhejiang with 19 points, including five three-pointers. Dong Ke'er bagged 15 points, all coming from five three-pointers from six attempts. Zhejiang nailed 11 three-pointers in the game, while their opponents only made four.
"Our players were a bit nervous at the beginning, but we found our rhythm as time went on. I am generally satisfied with their performance today. The result reflects the gap between our two teams. We hope to come back stronger next season," said Gu Jiaqing, head coach of Zhejiang. Enditem
