Basketball: Kiwis beat China in tournament opener

PERTH - New Zealand opened the Gaze Cup 4-Nations basketball tournament with a convincing 90-70 victory over China at Perth's Challenge Stadium last night.

The Tall Blacks simply had too much experience for a young Chinese team slowly building towards the 2008 Beijing Olympics and missing the likes of NBA superstar Yao Ming.

Kiwi captain Pero Cameron showed the way, with his unique basketball frame causing problems inside for the slender Chinese defenders.

The 202cm, 120kg big man finished with 13 points and five boards, while veteran centre Ed Book and shooting guard Phill Jones also added 13 points.

Forward Li Nan was the stand-out for China, scoring a game-high 16 points on 5-of-11 shooting, including four three-pointers.

After the scores were tied at 4-4 early in the first quarter, the Kiwis went on a 12-0 run and from there were never headed.

A three-pointer from guard Aaron Olsen with three minutes remaining in the second term established a 20-point lead and from there it was a procession for New Zealand.

Giant Chinese centre Zhengdong Tang, standing at 215cm, toiled hard in the paint, finishing with 12 points and six rebounds.

But he lacked the support of his lustrous luminaries in absent seven-foot trio Yao Ming, Mengke Bateer and Wang Zhi-Zhi - all of whom have experience in the NBA.

China clearly had the Beijing Olympics in mind prior to the tour, selecting just four players over 25 years of age in a youthful 14-man squad.

That lack of experience showed against New Zealand, a veteran team that still boasts the majority of its Sydney Olympics squad from five years ago.

In a sometimes spiteful clash, the well-drilled Kiwis had too many weapons for their Asian combatants.

New Zealand will look for its second win against traditional European power Lithuania tonight, while China face Australia before the series shifts to Sydney later this week.

- AAP