WUHAN (2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship) - China didn't run into any trouble at all as they broke the century mark and dismantled India, 102-39, in Level I (Group A) of the 2015 FIBA Asia Women's Championship.

Coach Tom Maher's team had a blistering start and never looked back en route to notching their third win in as many tries. Gao Song paced the winning side with 18 points off the bench even as Huang Sijing and Lu Wen chipped in 13 and 11 points respectively.

China's defense was relentless, forcing India to commit 18 turnovers and limiting them to just 29.2 percent field goal shooting.

Coach Francisco Garcia's team just couldn't get anything going. A rough start left them in the dust and lacking any sort of momentum. Poojamol Subhashmon and Jeena Skaria were the only bright spots in an otherwise dreary outing for India. Both Subhashmon and Skaria tallied 10 points to lead their losing cause.

China go up against Japan on Tuesday in a battle of undefeated sides, while India take on Thailand in a duel of winless teams.

Turning Point: China led from the get-go in this one. Starting centre Huang Hongpin made the game's first basket 14 seconds in, and that sparked an 18-0 opening blast that gave full control of the game to the Chinese.

Stats Don't Lie: China have six players standing 1.88m or taller, while India have just one. That difference in size was very telling in this joust as the Chinese, predictably enough, dominated the battle in the shaded lane. China grossly outperformed India in rebounding, 65-37, and they bullied their way inside for 50 points in the paint.

Game Hero: Gao Song didn't make a basket until late in the first quarter, and she had only 6 points by halftime, but it didn't take long for her to heat up afterwards. The 1.90m player scored 12 second-half points to epitomise China's dominance. The 23-year-old finished with 18 points on 9-of-16 field goal shooting, to go along with 12 rebounds and 2 steals.

The Bottom Line: This was a statement game for China. A day before taking on defending champions Japan, the Chinese wanted to send a clear message - they are out to reclaim their place on top of Asia. India, meanwhile, started flat and were not able to gain their bearings. They can ill-afford to do that tomorrow against a speedy and streaky Thailand.

FIBA