Wang Shipeng's three-pointer at the final whistle on Thursday has carried China through the group stage to reach the final 16 at the ongoing Basketball Men's World Championship in Japan.

The clutch-time throw was his only score in the game, but was good enough to help China inch past Slovenia 78-77.

China's star center Yao Ming contributed 36 points and 10 rebounds.

Both China and Slovenia entered the game with only one aim: to beat the other to reach the knockout rounds.

The two teams opened the game with scores galore before Slovenia upped the ante to widen the gap, leading the game 22-17 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, Slovenia extended their lead to eight points, ending the first half 46-38.

China then managed to trim the deficit down to only two points in the third quarter, narrowing the score down to 59-57.

However, Slovenia revved things up, breaking through the Chinese defense to stretch their lead again.

In the final minutes, Wang Zhizhi, another star Chinese center, bombarded the Slovenians with a three-pointer and two free throws to put China back on track.

Zhu Fangyu added another three points, separating the teams by just one point, and Yao Ming's free throw then evened the score at 75 apiece.

With only 31 seconds to go, Slovenia launched their final attack and managed to claw back another two points.

This left the Chinese with only six seconds to work their magic. In a nail-biting finish, Wang Shipeng dribbled the ball for what seemed like an eternity before releasing it at the final second, netting a dramatic three-point shot to steal the game from the hapless Slovenians.

China lost their first three group matches to Italy, the US and Puerto Rico respectively but beat Senegal and Slovenia to edge their way into the next stage of the competition.

(CRI August 24, 2006)