China claimed its fourth straight title at the Asian under-18 women's basketball championship in Shenzhen on Thursday after holding off a strong challenge from South Korea to win 102-79 in the final.

Bian Lan was named Most Valuable Player in the game, leading six Chinese players in double-digit points with 20 and scoring 17 in the first half. Zhang Wei had 19, Wang Qing 18 and Hu Nan 13. Center Liu Dan hit a double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds, earning the title of Rebound Queen.

Kim Jung-eun was the top scorer for South Korea with 22 points. Kim Soo-yeon chipped in 21 and Kim Bo-mi added 17.

The Chinese team, which pipped South Korea 96-80 in the group stage, looked unstoppable as they raced to a 15-6 lead just three minutes into Thursday's match.

But the tenacious South Koreans leveled the score at 18-18 thanks to a 12-3 run led by Kim Soo-yeon and Kim Bo-mi with 3:32 left to go in the opening quarter.

With the score tied at 24-24 with just 46 seconds remaining in the quarter, Hu Nan and Liu Dan each fired in two free throws to put China in front again at 27-23.

South Korea used a 5-0 run in the opening of the second quarter to overtake China 29-28. Wang then hit a 2-pointer to help China regain the lead at 30-29.

Bian scored eight points as the host team extended its advantage to eight points at 47-39 at halftime and never looked back.

The Chinese went 6-for-14 from the 3-point range, while their South Korean counterparts shot only 3-for-17. China out-rebounded South Korea 35-26.

Both teams, as the top two finishers of the biennial regional event, which opened last Friday, qualify for next year's world championship in Tunisia.

(Xinhua News Agency October 22, 2004)