China upsets American women 84-81 in Olympic test event

Miao Lijie scored 26 points and host China upset the United States 84-81 in Saturday's championship game of a pre-Olympic women's basketball test tournament.

Katie Smith led the Americans — the defending Olympic champions — with 16 points, while Sylvia Fowles added 14 and Swin Cash had 13. Chen Nan added 15 for China.

The U.S. defeated China 86-61 in a group game on Thursday, but struggled from the start in the final.

China led 27-17 after the first quarter, and 47-39 at halftime as the Americans failed to find their rhythm on offense. The U.S. rallied in the third quarter to take a 63-61 lead going into the fourth, but China's strong 3-point shooting sealed the game.

The tournament was played in the new 18,000-seat Olympic arena built on the west side of Beijing alongside the venue for baseball.

Australia defeated Cuba 65-61 in the third-place game. South Korea defeated New Zealand 70-67 to finish fifth. Australia defeated the U.S. 74-60 in the Americans' opening game of the tournament.