Primed and ready for battle

"We need to play smarter, with more togetherness and with more creativity (going into the knockout stage)," said Gong, who returned in February for a second stint at the helm after leading the women's team to the 2001 Asian championship and 2002 Asian Games titles.

After breezing past Indonesia, South Korea and New Zealand, with an aggregate winning margin of 107 points, Team China has directly secured a final-four spot, where it will face the winner of an additional semifinal qualifying game on Friday between New Zealand and Group B runner-up Japan.

Group B winner Australia has also earned a direct path to the semis, where it will face either South Korea or the Philippines on the other half of the bracket.

Japan's head coach Corey Gaines, although still having to get through the Tall Ferns, has thrown down a gantlet to the host.

"If my team plays the way (it did) tonight, we have confidence (that we can beat China)," Gaines said of a potential third meeting between the two Asian rivals in the space of a month, after his team was overpowered by Australia 79-67 in a Group B fixture on Tuesday.

In June, Japan lost both of its pre-tournament warm-ups with China.

Gong, however, has reminded his players to focus on themselves.

" (He is) bluffing, or trying to pump his team up. All coaches have their own way to prepare for an important game," Gong said of Gaines' remarks.

"I do hope they play as hard against us as they did in the first half against Australia, not as incompetently as they did in the second half.

"We just need to pay more attention to maximizing our own strengths. And, if we can do that, I don't think we need to worry about whoever we meet in the semis."