China took a commanding 111-46 victory over Thailand in their Asian Games women's basketball fixture on Thursday evening. The result leaves the visitors top of their group after three matches, with the hosts languishing in fourth place. And here's the thing — the margin tells you everything about where these teams stand at this stage.
Thailand had opened their campaign with a narrow loss to Indonesia before bouncing back against Malaysia. They then suffered defeats to Vietnam and Indonesia in their last two outings, but this evening's result went well beyond the pattern of previous games. The hosts never really got into the contest.
China, meanwhile, have been testing themselves against higher-calibre opposition. Their recent record includes a heavy defeat to France and a win over the United States, plus victories against Italy, Czech Republic and Puerto Rico. To be fair, they showed no signs of slowing down against the hosts.
The table situation is straightforward enough. China sit first with three wins from three games, while Thailand remain winless with three defeats. By then you'd expect the gap to be clearer, and it certainly is here.
What matters most is the point difference. China have now built a substantial cushion at the top of the standings, while Thailand face a mountain to climb if they want to salvage something from this tournament.
