THE United States has furthered its claims as the FIBA Women’s World Cup favourites after taking down an in-form China side to the tune of 14 points on Saturday night.

They were the two most dominant teams over the first few days of the tournament, and it was a highly anticipated matchup as it would prove a true test for both sides, who are well and truly in contention to win it all.

However, the United States outscored its opponents in three of the game’s four quarters, and looked the better side for longer. The US got off to a strong start, jumping out to a five-point lead in the opening term and putting China in the unfamiliar territory of needed to fight back.

Thhe damage only got worse in the second term, as the United States managed to put it together on both ends as the margin pushed out to double-digits. At their high-scoring best, there was seemingly not much China could do to stop the bleeding, and trailed by 19 at the main change.

It must have been some sort of rev up at half-time for China, because it managed to drag itself back into the contest with a powerful third term. There was certainly a spark present in its offensive sets in the third term, as the US struggled to conjure a bucket down the other end. With the margin back to single digits with a quarter to play, China give itself a chance to produce a miracle.

Despite losing a bit of momentum in the third period, the United States bounced back with an improved effort in the fourth term. The States were back to their best in the final 10 minutes, producing buckets from across the court with an unselfish style of play. In the end, the scoreboard read 77-63, all but confirming a finals spot for the victors.

A’Ja Wilson was the star of the show in her team’s crucial win, finishing with a team-high 20 points and eight rebounds, with all of her buckets coming from two-point territory. For China, Meng Li topped scored for the match with 21 points and delivered some much-needed offence in the third quarter.

Around the courts, Korea delivered a big win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, while Belgium emerged victorious in a thriller against Puerto Rico.