XI'AN, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- China thrashed New Zealand 94-47 in its opener at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT), while France trounced Puerto Rico 88-40 here on Thursday.

All 12 players of China stepped on the court, and 10 of them scored. Han Xu went 9 of 9 from the field for a game-high 21 points. Li Meng made all six 2-point attempts for 14 points and Li Yueru added a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.

New Zealand was out-rebounded 51-34 and had 20 turnovers. Esra McGoldrick scored her team-high 11 points, and Tera Reed added 10.

China approached its first game of the year with confidence after having won its first game in each of the last five OQTs, while New Zealand has lost the most recent five. At the packed Shaanxi Provincial Gymnasium, the hosts were determined to seize the win to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival.

China established a 10-point lead in the first quarter. The 2.05-meter tall center Han, whose height promised China a solid shield in the paint, had four blocks in the second quarter, and Li Meng frequently drove to the basket to clinch points as China enlarged the gap to 31 points at halftime.

Back from the locker room, China converted steals into transition points, while New Zealand kept struggling for its baskets. Veteran Wu Tongtong, who suffered a severe injury at the 2022 FIBA Women's World Cup, scored her first point after rejoining the national team through a free throw with 35 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

"Typically, players would get either stressed out or overexcited in their first games. For us tonight, it was reflected on the shooting touch or layups," Han said after the game, adding, "We haven't competed with world-class teams outside Asia for a relatively long time, and I think we adapted well."

"But we strive to become better," Han stated. "There are no weak teams, and we will go all out."

In an earlier match, France capitalized on its 13 3-pointers to rout Puerto Rico. Marine Johannes led France with 17 points and six assists, and Gabby Williams added 11 points.

Johannes said she was excited to meet her WNBA New York Liberty teammate, "Haney [nickname for Han]," in the post-game press conference as her side will next play against China.

"I met her a few days ago in the dining place, it feels great to see my friend. She is the core of Team France, and she's in great form with her accurate shooting, which makes her the one we need to pay the most attention to. In the next game, we still need to start from our defense and give it our all," Han reacted.

China is set to meet France, and New Zealand will clash with Puerto Rico on Saturday.

The OQT runs from February 8 to 11 in Xi'an (China), Antwerp (Belgium), Belem (Brazil) and Sopron (Hungary). As France has automatically secured a berth in Paris 2024 as the host nation, China, Puerto Rico and New Zealand are competing in Xi'an for two Olympic tickets on offer. Enditem

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