The Chinese men's basketball team managed to beat Canada 76-72 in a four-nation match in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, last night.
With Houston Rockets center Yao Ming under the hoop, China quickly took a 13-4 lead. The visitors fought back later as guard Denham Brown's three-pointer on the buzzer reduced the gap to six points, the Canadians trailing 14-20 into the second quarter. The Chinese maintained their tempo, going into the break at 39-31. Canada relied on long shots and staged a comeback late in the fourth quarter, but the host held on to a four-point cushion to win the game. China will play Brazil today and Croatia tomorrow. The tournament is a tuneup for the Athens Olympics. In the earlier leg of the tournament in Beijing, China beat all three nations, which have sent their B teams.