BARCELONA ’92 OLYMPICS : U.S. Goes Around China’s Mountain : Women’s basketball: At 6 feet 8, Zheng Haixia spurs an early lead, but the Americans turn up the fast break in 93-67 victory.

The American women, dreaming their own lofty basketball dreams, ran headlong into the Great Wall of China on Saturday.

They survived--but not without bruises.

China took an 18-12 lead with its 6-foot-8, 273-pound center, Zheng Haixia, clogging the middle. But the United States cleared the impediment with the fast break and raced to a 93-67 victory.

“We’ve played her before,” U.S. Coach Theresa Grentz said. “You know initially she may have the advantage because of her size and bulk, but there’s no way she can stay with you.

“This isn’t rocket science. It’s numbers. You get up and down the court faster than she does.”

The United States was aided in this by the Chinese coach, Li Yaguang, who took his center out of the game with the Chinese ahead, 18-12.

After that, the United States went on a 20-2 run.

Having found their legs, the American women kept on flying after Zheng returned.

“We just had to be aware of where she was,” Cynthia Cooper said. “A lot of times you penetrate and create some possibilities. But when you have somebody 6-8 all the way around in there, it’s hard to be imaginative. She wasn’t going anywhere. She was just hovering.”

Mere numbers do not do Zheng’s size justice. The average woman in the basketball competition is about 5-10 and weighs 175 pounds, compared to 6-6, 210 for the men. For a man to be as large, relative to the field as Zheng, he would have to be 7-5, 328.

Matched against her was Katrina McClain, 6-2 and 175, spelled by Daedra Charles, 6-3 and 190.

“I had seen her before but not standing up,” Charles said. “I saw her today and I said, ‘Gee whiz!’ She had big calves. Not even Arnold Schwarzenegger has calves like those.

“One time I was trying to get in front of her and I said, ‘Geez, I have a job to do today.’ ”

Said Medina Dixon, a 6-3, 165-pound power forward: “If I set a back pick on her, you wouldn’t see me.”

Zheng, 25, has been a Chinese Olympian since she was 17. She speaks no English--nor does anyone else in the Chinese delegation--but she is cheery and good-natured.

Several nights ago, she met several members of the Dream Team. After she and Magic Johnson had their picture taken together, she literally danced for joy.

Until the ‘80s, the Soviet Union dominated women’s basketball behind a 7-2 center named Uljana Semenova. The Americans have since left their mark on the game, turning it into one of speed and athleticism.

“I think (Zheng) takes basketball back 10 years,” Cooper said, “back to when they played half-court, passed the ball.

“We’re disappointed with the way we started the first half. We’re disappointed with the way we started the second half (China closed to within 54-50, but the United States struck back with another 22-2 run). We’re happy with the way we ended the game. . . . We wanted to play with some style. We wanted to show this is the way we play.”

The women, 11 of whom play professionally overseas, hope their up-tempo game will win them American acceptance and a U.S. league of their own, to date a pipe dream.

In other games Saturday, Cuba beat Brazil, 95-88, to stay undefeated and atop Pool A. Also, the Commonwealth of Independent States beat Italy, 79-67, and Spain beat Czechoslovakia, 59-58.