CHENGDU, Oct. 13 (Xinhua) -- Wuhan is still searching for its first win after five rounds of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) campaign, following a 73-59 loss to Henan here on Tuesday.
Henan outscored its opponent 38-16 in the paint. Center Cheng Qi stood out with 31 points and 11 rebounds. Zhang Ru chipped in with 14 points.
Henan escaped from an early setback by outscoring Wuhan 28-10 in the second quarter, and never conceded its lead from there on out.
Wuhan quickly found its form beyond the arc, sinking three 3-pointers, while Henan scored its opening eight points all from the free throw line. Wuhan capped the first quarter by going up 18-15.
Zheng Yaping's layup pushed Henan to a 23-22 lead for the first time since the tip-off, and Henan made the most of an 18-0 surge midway through the second quarter to lead 43-28 at halftime.
"We tightened up defense on their three-pointers from the second quarter, also improving our offense down the stretch," Henan coach Li Jianxin reflected.
Cheng was insurmountable in the paint, scoring consecutive buckets on second chances, as Henan gained its biggest advantage of 20 points in the third quarter.
Du Kangxin led Wuhan players with 15 points. Li Xiu and Han Biaobiao finished with 14 and 10 points respectively.
Despite being winless so far this season, Wuhan coach Li Xin would rather see some improvement from her young players.
"Result is not everything. What is really important is to find some weaknesses through every game and improve it in our training sessions," she said. Enditem
