China began its Olympic women's basketball tournament with a hard-fought revenge win Saturday.

It edged past Spain 67-64 in their opening group match, avenging an eight-point loss to the same rivals four years ago at the Athens Games, where it finished only ninth.

Bian Lan of China makes a shot during a Group B women's basketball game at the Wukesong Basketball Stadium August 9 2008. [China Daily]

China coach Tom Maher said after the game: "It is a big win. Spain is a better team, they are ranked higher than us and played with lot of spirit.

"They had beaten us in the Athens Olympics but today, we handled the home pressure very well. It is a tough, big win."

The host made a solid start to the match, jumping to a 9-0 lead with four minutes gone.

However, inspired by two consecutive three-pointers from Elisa Aguilar Lopez, Spain had leveled the match at 15-15.

That would be the last time the Spaniards tie the game, as China center Chen Nan, guard Miao Lijie and forward Sui Feifei poured in the points and extended their lead to 37-24 at the end of the first half.

Spain, which beat China in four of their six previous matches, mounted a strong comeback in the second half, hitting six of their nine three-pointers to cut the lead to within five points.

Leading 65-62 with only 23sec remaining, China's Bian Lan hit a free throw, and a subsequent turnover cost the Spaniards their final shot for a win.

Bian led the Chinese team with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Miao and Chen added 12 apiece. Chen also had 10 rebounds.

Said Sui, who added nine points: "It is just the start. We played our game well, and were highly motivated. We did not feel the pressure and, facing a stronger team, our team has nothing to lose."

China will take on the United States in its second group match tomorrow, while Spain will be needing a win when it faces New Zealand next.