Pratham Singh and Amjyot Singh yesterday accounted for 13 points apiece, while pivotal player Vishesh Bhriguvanshi notched up 10 points as India led the continental giants by 15 points after the second quarter, according to FIBA Asia website.
In head-to-head record, 15-time winners of the Asian Basketball Championship, China had won all their seven previous meetings in the FIBA ABC between the two rivals, by at least 30 points on each occasion, but this was the first time the two teams met in the FIBA Asia Cup.
Coach Scott Fleming said it was a surprise to him why this, a victory over China, had not happened earlier.
"In fact, I'm more surprised that this was the first win for India against China. Because we have a lot of potential and this should have happened much earlier," Flemming told FIBA Asia website.
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"For me personally, this win was another game in this competition. We have lot more games to go. But for these guys (the players) it's a great result for all the hard work they have put all these years," the American said.
"There were a few questions asked when we won in January (the Lusofonia Games gold medal beating Angola). I think this win last night adds credibility to that earlier victory. With this win, we are no longer a team with just potential. We can also perform to prove it," Fleming added.
"Well, this is a young team. Such results are expected. They (India) really deserved the win because they certainly played better than us," China coach Wang Huaiyu said.