Players and coaching staff of China celebrate after winning the game against Spain during the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020 Group B match between Spain and China in Belgrade, Serbia, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

Players and coaching staff of China celebrate after winning the game against Spain during the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2020 Group B match between Spain and China in Belgrade, Serbia, February 8, 2020. /VCG Photo

China won World No.3 Spain 64-62 in the women's basketball Olympics qualifier in Belgrade, Serbia on Saturday. This means the team is now in the Tokyo Olympics.

China led 6-2 in the opening of the game. China's head coach Xu Limin called his first timeout after Spain reversed the scores 9-6 and pointed out straightforwardly that the Chinese players had a bit too many turnovers.

Spain had multiple chances under the basket, but struggled to convert them into scores. Nevertheless, they were leading 15-12 by the end of the first quarter.

China took the lead by 18-17 after Spain committed four fouls in the second quarter. For the Chinese ladies, the result against the World No. 3 team was promising if they could control their own turnovers and Spain's counterattacks.

China's Li Meng and Yang Liwei stretched the gap to seven points (28-21), enlarging the advantage for the team.

Spain were faced with a 6-22 deficit from the second quarter, which ended on 34-21.

It was foreseeable that Spain would strengthen their offense in the second half, which they did, making it important for Team China to observe the opposing team and maintain stability.

Body contact increased. Spain's intensity on both attacking and defending ends increased also. Having struggled a bit with turnovers, Team China kept the sharp performance from the first half.

After Cristina Ouvina scored two points with a quick counter, China's head coach Xu Limin called a timeout.

His attempt to cool down Spain's comeback was successful, as China expanded the gap to 15 points afterwards.

By the end of the third quarter, China led by 52-38. Spain had good steals, but failed converting them into scores. Neither team was efficient in three-pointers. Spain scored 1 out of 6, while China scored 2 out of 10.