Venezuela men's basketball beats China 72-68 for 1st win
Posted August 10, 2016 7:00 am
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - The battle of the last winless men's basketball teams in Group A went down to the wire as Venezuela squeaked past China 72-68 Wednesday night to take another step toward advancing.
The Chinese (0-3) are now unlikely to qualify for the next round.
Venezuela power forward Nestor Colmenares made the two plays of the game down the stretch. He took a charge with 38.4 seconds remaining and Venezuela holding a one-point lead. After forcing the turnover, he hit a floater over the outstretched arm of 6-foot-11 Yi Jianlian with 15.8 seconds left to seal the win.
Colmenares led the team with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Venezuela (1-2) opened the fourth quarter with a 7-2 run, including a pair of jumpers from Anthony Perez, to take a 58-52 lead. China got within one in the final period but never led.
Yi Jianlian scored a game-high 18 for China.
Spain head coach Lucas Mondelo yells from the sidelines during the second half of a women's basketball game against China at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain forward Marta Xargay (10) shoots over China forward Song Gao (12) during the second half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain guard Laia Palau (9) is defended by China center Mengran Sun during the second half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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The Spain women's team celebrates their win as China center Mengran Sun (13) walks back to the bench after a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain guard Laia Palau (9) keeps the ball from going out of bounds next to China center Hongpin Huang during the second half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain forward Laura Nicholls reacts after a score during the second half of a women's basketball game against China at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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China forward Sijing Huang reacts after a teammate scores during the second half of a women's basketball game against Spain at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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China center Nan Chen looks to shoot against the defense of Spain forward Astou Ndour during the second half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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China forward Wen Lu (10) makes a layup defended by Spain forward Laura Nicholls during the second half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. Spain defeated China 89-68. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain forward Marta Xargay goes up for the basket during the first half of a women's basketball game against China at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain forward Laura Nicholls is fouled by China forward Mengxin Sun (9) during the first half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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Spain forward Alba Torrens (7) makes a layup defended by China forward Wen Lu during the first half of a women's basketball game at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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China head coach Tom Maher talks to his team during the first half of a women's basketball game against Spain at the Youth Center at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)
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