China beats Senegal 81-63 Monday in Taicang and clinched a berth in top 12 at the 14th Women's World Basketball Championship.
Chen Luyun scored 23 points to lead five Chinese women in double digits in their second straight win in two days.
China head coach Gong Luming now eyes a place in the quarter-finals.
"We will have a big chance to enter the quarter-finals if we beat Spain in the second round," he said. "Otherwise, we will do our utmost to deliver Argentina."
Argentina and Spain were sure to join China in the second round play of Group E after Japan's 98-53 loss to Australia on Monday.
The Asian champions China, who held off Yugoslavia 72-65 on Sunday, surged ahead with a 14-6 run to build a 62-47 lead after the third quarter and Senegal never got their deficit under 12 points in the fourth.
Awa Gueye had a game-high 25 points plus 6 rebounds, only to see Senegal swallow their third straight loss and eliminated from the second round.
"It was a great game between the African and Asian champions," Gong said. "My players had trouble dealing with the physical contest at the start, but they played better with the game going on."
China jumped to a 25-13 lead after the first quarter and enlarged the gap to 34-15 early in the second. Senegal pushed back with a 22-7 run to make it 41-37, but that was the closest they could go.
Group B leaders Brazil will play Yugoslavia later on Monday.
Sydney Olympic runners-up Australia beat Japan 98-53 at Wuzhong,Jiangsu Province, to finish top of Group A with a 100 percent record. Lauren Jackson scored 25 points in 9:30 to lead the Australians.
With three consecutive losses, Japan went into the 13th-16th play-offs together with Senegal.
At Changshu, Jiangsu Province, Cuba disposed of Tunisia 90-65, delivering the Africans their third loss in succession. France and South Korea, who both remained unbeaten in Group D, will vie for the top position in Group D later on Sunday as Argentina takes on Spain.
( People's Daily September 17, 2002)
