Liao Sanning (L) of China drives down the court against Venezuela in a FIBA Asia Cup warm-up game in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, July 24. [Photo/VCG]

China beat Venezuela 77-49 in a warm-up contest ahead of the FIBA Asia Cup on Thursday in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, ending a five-game losing streak against their South American opponents.

The last time China had beaten Venezuela was at the FIBA Stankovic Continental Champions' Cup in 2007 at home.

Both sides struggled to score in the first quarter in this meeting, but China finished the period with a 18-13 lead, following Cheng Shuaipeng's three-pointer in the closing seconds.

Zhao Rui, Hu Jinqiu, and Yu Jiahao stepped up to provide sharper offensive firepower for China in the second quarter. Hu and Yu combined for eight points in the paint, while Zhao added a pair of threes, enabling their side to outscore the visitors 19-9 in the period and increase their advantage to 37-22 at halftime.

Chinese shooters remained hot from the outside in the third quarter. Zhao Rui, Zhao Jiayi, Hu Mingxuan, and Cheng all sank shots from downtown, helping the home team reel off a 14-0 run, soon followed by an 8-0 spree, en route to a 23-point advantage (63-40) when the period ended. Four players – Hu Jinqiu, Zhao Rui, Yu, and Cheng – reached double-digit points in the first three quarters.

Both sides emptied their benches five minutes into the final quarter, as the outcome was no longer in doubt. The two teams are set to face each other again on Friday night.

China will then play two more warm-up games against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday and Tuesday in Nanjing, east China's Jiangsu Province, before the Asia Cup begins on August 5 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

China are in Group C with Jordan, India, and Saudi Arabia at the Asia Cup.