RIO DE JANEIRO — Geno Auriemma could only smile after his U.S. women’s basketball team dominated another opponent.

It wasn’t so much the final score of the game, but the coach was really excited about the record number of assists the Americans dished out.

Tina Charles and Brittney Griner each scored 18 points and the U.S. had 40 assists on its 46 baskets to beat China 105-62 on Sunday. The Americans were unchallenged in group play, winning the five games by an average of 40.8 points, eclipsing the 100-point mark in four of them.

“When you have 40 assists, that means something,” Auriemma said beaming. “I talked to a team about that. There can’t be anything better in the game of basketball then when you get an assist. When you know that you made it possible for one of your teammates to get an easy basket, that’s basketball.”

It was fun for those playing as well.

The U.S. is on a record-setting scoring pace averaging 104 points, just above the 102.4 mark set by the 1996 team that started the run of five gold medals and 46 consecutive Olympic wins.

Things get more serious as the single-elimination quarterfinals begin Tuesday with the U.S. (5-0) facing Japan.