China beats Chinese Taipei in EABA Championship for Men

NAGANO, Japan, June 3 (Xinhua) -- China got off to a winning start at the 2017 East Asia Basketball Association (EABA) Championship for Men here on Saturday, with a 96-63 victory against Chinese Taipei.

The Chinese squad took the lead early and built a 21-8 advantage before entering into the second quarter. Scores for the next three quarters were 27-17, 19-13 and 29-25.

Four Chinese players scored double digits, with Zhao Yanhao hitting four 3-pointers and contributing a game-high 22 points.

Fan Bin, head coach of the Chinese Men's Olympic basketball team, said he was satisfied with the results.

"I'm proud of the performance of my team," he said, adding he expected the team to advance from the group.

The EABA Championship for Men 2017 is set to be held from June 3-7 in Nagano, Japan.

The top five finishers in the six-team tournament will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon in August.