Yang stars with 20 points in Flames' WNBL win

Chinese basketball player Yang Shuyu showcased her long-range shooting skills after scoring an equal game-high 20 points in Sydney Flames' crushing 95-68 victory over Adelaide Lightning on Sunday.

In her first WNBL home game at the Quaycenter, Yang hit 4-of-6 from three while teammate Jazmin Shelley also scored 20 points.

The 24-year-old Yang had launched her WNBL career on Friday night with 11 points in the Flames' 77-73 season-opening victory against Southside Melbourne Flyers.

In that match, she went toe-to-toe with Chinese player Wang Siyu, who scored 11 points off the bench in her WNBL debut for Flyers.

The Flames were determined to continue their unbeaten start to the season and Yang made a steal in the opening minute, prompting loud cheers from a large contingent of Chinese fans in the crowd.

Yang's first three-point attempt rimmed out, but she made no mistake on her next from the right corner. She ended a see-saw first quarter with a sublime layup through traffic to give the Flames a 17-16 lead at the break.

The Lightning hit back in the second quarter before Shelley lifted the home side, who finished the first-half strongly with Yang showing off her dribbling prowess as she drew the foul at the rim.

The Flames threatened to pull away in the third quarter, with Yang nailing her second three-pointer to stretch their lead to 65-56.

She hit another from the left corner early in the last quarter as the unstoppable Flames built an unassailable lead.

"This is the second game we've played together, and we solved a lot of the problems from the last game. The team is getting better. We'll also have another key player returning soon, so there's a lot to look forward to," Yang told Xinhua after the game, adding that the win was a team effort.

"I came to this team to learn. Australia has always been a powerhouse in world basketball, and I hope to learn from their physical, fast and accurate style of play," she said.

"She played really well, and I'm excited for her," Renae Garlepp, Head Coach of the Flames, said. "I think she slots in really well with the rest of the character we have. I think she's quite selfless, like the rest of them. She works hard, and she wants the best for the team."

"She's the best. She is so involved in our team. She wants everyone to score. She's unreal off the floor, and we just want nothing but success for her. And she wants the same for us. So it's really cool to play with someone like that," said Shelley.

The Flames next play UC Capitals on Friday night at home.