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KUNSHAN, China, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Fueled by Yi Jianlian's 15 points and Zhou Qi's double-double, China eased past Montenegro 65-49 in the 2016 Sino-European Men's Basketball Championship opener here on Friday.
Zhou, who was selected by the Houston Rockets in 2016 NBA draft, had 13 points and 11 boards. Zhao Jiwei added 11 points and six rebounds.
The tournament, also featuring Germany and France, was the last warmup series for the Chinese players in their home country before heading to the US for final preparation for the Rio Olympics.
Montenegro only scored three points in nearly eight minutes after the tip-off. The hosts also suffered low shooting in the offensive end, while still managing to build an 11-3 lead in this span. The visitors got back their momentum and took on a 9-4 run to cut the deficit to three points as the first quarter ran out.
Montenegro hit consecutive shots beyond the arc early in the second, and they further benefitted from China's just three points, all on free throw line, in nearly six minutes.
The visiting team once built a three-point lead on a 10-2 run in the second half, before China's captain Zhou Peng tied the score on a three-pointer.
Both sides just nailed two points during a 6-minute span in the final 12 minutes, but spearheaded by Yi, the hosts sealed the win on an 11-4 run.
France crushed Germany 67-42 in the other match on Friday.
China's next opponent on Saturday will be Germany.
