The powerhouse China hammered down Japan 107-65 for its second victory at the Asian women's basketball championships in Qinhuangdong on Monday.

With the dominance inside the key, China led from the very beginning and open the gap by every quarter on the way seeking to claim its third consecutive title in the event.

Japan, who finished 10th in the Athens Games in 2004, lost to South Korea on the opener 108-62 on Sunday.

"It's easy to be happy when you win a game by 40 points, but I'm happier with the way we played tonight," said Chinese head coach Tom Maher.

China, who survived a surprising 102-96 overtime win over Chinese Taipei Sunday, closed the first quarter with a 20-3 run by 33-12, and extending lead before the break.

Beating Japan on the board by 46-27, China shot 33-out-0f-59 in the field and 8-out-of-17 on 3-pointer while Japan was only 31 percent and 22.7 percent in these categories respectively.

The third quarter did not see much change of China's strong play under the basket when the small Japanese tried to close the gap by outside shooting in vain.

Centers Chen Nan and zhang Xiaoni combined for 33 points and 15 rebounds for China, while Japan's center Kumiko Yamada and point guard Yuko Oga had 17 points each.

China has claimed a berth in the World Championships next year in Brazil with the top three teams in the first level group to qualify.

(Xinhua News Agency June 21, 2005)