The Zhejiang Lions and the Shanxi Loongs notched tough wins to consolidate their top two positions in the CBA.
BEIJING, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- The top-ranked Zhejiang Lions and the second-placed Shanxi Loongs survived tough challenges to beat the Beijing Ducks and the Fujian Sturgeons respectively in the 28th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Thursday.
Zhejiang triumphed 83-79 over the Ducks, while Shanxi completed a comeback to beat the Sturgeons 122-117.
Zhejiang entered the game on a four-game winning streak, and the debut of new signing Boban Marjanovic added extra excitement to the game against Beijing. However, it was Barry Brown Jr who delivered the decisive performance for Zhejiang, finishing with a game-high 24 points.
Zhejiang grabbed an early 7-2 lead, but that was its only advantage through the first three quarters. The Lions struggled offensively, scoring under 20 points in each of the first three periods, and fell behind by as many as 17 points.
In the final quarter, Zhejiang ramped up its defense, using a 13-1 run to erase a 54-66 deficit in just four minutes. In the dying moments, Brown hit a key layup, assisted Hu Jinqiu on a fast break, and sealed the win with two free throws in the final 16 seconds.
Brown, who joined Zhejiang this season, is averaging 26.6 points per game, ranking 6th in the league. His 24 points made up nearly 30% of the team's total, with crucial three-pointers in the first three quarters keeping them in the game.
Marjanovic played primarily in the first half, contributing four points in 7 minutes and 26 seconds on the court.
In the Shanxi-Fujian clash, the Sturgeons, who had only won three games this season, shocked Shanxi by leading 62-52 at halftime. But Shanxi came alive after the interval with Brandon Goodwin scoring 13 points in a single quarter to help close the gap.
After a fast-break layup from Goodwin, Shanxi took a 75-74 lead, though Fujian responded to lead 91-88 at the end of the third quarter.
In the final period, Zhang Ning and Yuan Shuai took charge. Zhang scored 12 points, and Yuan hit three straight three-pointers to lead a 16-5 run, giving Shanxi a 117-109 lead with three minutes to go. Despite a late surge from Fujian's Joseph Young, Shanxi held its ground at the free-throw line to maintain the advantage.
Five players score double digits for Shanxi, with Goodwin leading the way with 31 points, followed by Zhang's 21 and Yuan's 20. Young posted a game-high 32 points for Fujian.
Elsewhere, the Guangzhou Loong Lions beat the Jiangsu Dragons 100-91, the Shanghai Sharks overcame the Beijing Royal Fighters 127-114, the Qingdao Eagles tamed the Shenzhen Leopards 107-95, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers trounced the Nanjing Monkey Kings 124-99, the Guangdong Southern Tigers won 120-111 against the Tianjin Pioneers, the Shandong Heroes triumphed 117-84 over the Jilin Northeast Tigers, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls eased past the Ningbo Rockets 119-93, and the Liaoning Flying Leopards cruised to a 115-99 victory over the Sichuan Blue Whales. ■