BEIJING, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- Veteran forward Gao Song scored 24 points as defending champions Sichuan cruised past Jiangsu 90-75 at home in the curtain-raiser of the 2024-25 Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) season on Friday.

Gao, 32, made 10 of 13 field goals. Han Xu and Wang Siyu added 18 and 12 points, respectively, for Sichuan.

Ahead of the game, Sichuan players received their championship rings and banner. Building on last season's title-winning roster, Sichuan further strengthened its squad during the offseason, including signing Jin Weina and Zhang Manman from Jiangsu.

Han and Li Meng combined for 19 points as Sichuan surged to a 27-21 lead after the first quarter.

In the second quarter, the home side began to demonstrate its depth, with a layup from Tang Ziting giving them their first double-digit lead at 46-35 with 2:57 left.

Led by Kaela Davis, Jiangsu, trailing by 11 at halftime, started to cut into Sichuan's advantage. The 29-year-old American forward hit back-to-back step-back jumpers to help the visitors narrow the gap to five points late in the third quarter.

Entering the final period with a 72-66 lead, Sichuan pulled away once more with a more balanced attack. The 16-point gap with two minutes remaining left Jiangsu with little chance to mount another comeback, despite Davis' 35-point performance.

In addition to Davis, Hu Xinyu was the only other Jiangsu player to score in double digits, making all seven of her shooting attempts for 19 points.

The remaining first-round matches will take place on Saturday and Sunday.

This season, a record 21 teams compete in the WCBA, which will conclude on April 16, 2025. The teams are divided into two groups, with 12 in Group A. The top four teams from Group B will qualify for the playoffs. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)