China loses fifth straight at Stankovic Cup
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Xinhua, August 7, 2011
Angola came back to win 55-52 over China at the Guangzhou leg of the Stankovic Cup basketball tournament here on Saturday, marking the host's fifth straight defeat.
Angola, who won the Haining leg two days ago, showed their hardness in defence and endurance in offence in the second half, by rallying back from a 11 points deficit to continue their winning streak.
The Chinese enjoyed fierce attacks as Wang Shipeng opened the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Yi Jianlian added six points in the first five minutes.
Angola seemed to lose their energy as they failed to make most of their attempts, both from the paint and the 3-point line, only to see the host leading 35-24 at the end of the first half.
The second half saw the reviving of the first leg champions, who were inspired by a 11-2 run and cut the deficit to two points before the fourth quarter.
The tight game lasted till the final minute before Wang Shipeng missed the potential 3-pointer equalizer and failed to survive a foul strategy.
"I am not hoping the team would be 100 percent now, but we will be ready before the Asian Cup," said Chinese coach Donewald.
Donewald said Angola were ready because they have African Cup ahead on August 15, while the Chinese would compete in the Asian Cup in September.
"We have preserved some strategies for the future, and we will use them in the real competition," he said.
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