Yao Ming Leads China to Beat New Zealand 89-74

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, May 31, 2002

Yao Ming Leads China to Beat New Zealand 89-74

Future NBA player Yao Ming led his Chinese team for a 89-74 victory over Oceanian champion New Zealand at the Lushan Mountain Stadium on Friday.

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Future NBA player Yao Ming led his Chinese team for a 89-74 victory over Oceanian champion New Zealand at the Lushan Mountain Stadium on Friday.

Yao, who is dubbed as one of the best players for the June NBA draft, scored 25 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, in addition to his seven blocks in 26:49 minutes playing time.

The 7-6 feet center, 21, got 13 points to give China a 15-11 lead at the start. He was 8-9 from the field, 6-7 on the line, and even 1-1 from behind the arc as his opponents could have nothing to stop him inside the paint.

"We're very impressed by Yao Ming. He played a very very good game tonight," said New Zealand's head coach Thomas Baldwin.

"He is strong and skillful. I saw his potential to play in the NBA," said New Zealand's center Robert Hichey, who scored 12 points before Yao and China's NBA player Mengke Bateer.

Bateer, who played for Denver Nuggets last season, made an excellent amend of the absence of Dallas Mavericks' forward Wang Zhizhi, getting 10 points and eight rebounds in 20 minutes.

Wang is still staying in America after Dallas was wiped off by the Sacramento Kings at the semi-finals of the NBA's Western Conference. Team stuff said he would join the national team soon, but not before the end of the three-game series against New Zealand.

The younger New Zealanders, who beat Australia for the first time in 22 years to win the Oceanian championship, did a great job throughout the match though they trailed for most of the time.

"They played tough, forcing out 24 turnovers and stealing 26 offensive rebounds," said Chinese head coach Wang Fei. "But they helped us find more weaknesses. I'll have lots of homework before tomorrow's second meet."

New Zealand had the only lead of the match at the beginning at 7-4 before China took the control. The home team led as much as 87-66 in the fourth quarter with a powerful dunk of reserve center MoKe, who contributed 19 points.

The two teams will move to Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province to continue the duel, and will complete the trip in Qinhuangdao, Hebei Province on Monday.

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