VIDNOJE (FIBA U21 World Championship for Women) - Belgium scraped a 76-70 thriller against a resilient China on Tuesday to clinch a quarter-final place at the FIBA U21 World Championship for Women and eliminate the Asian giants.
Tingting Ding's jump shot with 2:38 remaining closed the gap to 71-69 for China, who had trailed by as many as 10 points early in the fourth quarter.
Ellen Lauwers replied with a three-pointer for the Belgians, though, and they ended up holding on for their second victory in four games.
Sara Leemans led Belgium with a game-high 24 points and corralled eight rebounds.
The Chinese, who dropped to 0-4, got 17 points apiece from Lu Lu and Bowen Zheng.
Lauwers is proving to be a player for the big occasion.
After China took a 48-45 lead early in the second half, she struck from behind the arc to tie the contest and spark a 9-0 run.
Belgium kept their noses in front for the remainder of the game.
FIBA
