Sonny Weems (L) of Guangdong Southern Tigers goes up for a shoot during a match between Guangdong Southern Tigers and Jiangsu Dragons at the newly resumed 2019-2020 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Dongguan, south China's Guangdong Province, on June 23, 2020. (Xinhua/Liang Xu)
DONGGUAN, South China, June 23 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong Southeast Tigers eased past the Jiangsu Dragons 119-71 with top players only showing up in the first half in the 2019-2020 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season here on Tuesday.
Guangdong established a double-digit advantage in the first quarter thanks to their high three-pointer accuracy. Jiangsu strived to make a comeback but could not stop Guangdong's fierce attacks, letting the gap get wider. The free throws in the last minute made Guangdong nearly double Jiangsu's score, ending at 33-17.
In the second quarter, Guangdong's strong defense put much pressure on Jiangsu and blocked their attempt to cut the deficit. Guangdong center Wan Shengwei contributed an impressive long-distance three-pointer, helping his team take a thirty-point lead over their opponents.
Former NBA player Yi Jianlian, Guangdong's top star, was off the court after the interval, and his teammates rallied to maintain their edge over forty points till the end of the game, sealing a big score victory without any suspense.
Zeng Fanri, the 24-year-old center, grabbed a team-high 22 points for Guangdong. Yi and his teammate Du Runwang both notched 17 points and six baskets.
"Both our insiders and defenders did a good job today and carried out our tactics," said Guangdong head coach Du Feng, who also paid a compliment to the young players' high morale.
Meanwhile, Zeng expressed gratitude to his coach: "I would like to thank coach Du for giving us opportunities for individual training, through which we have improved our inside scoring."
According to the schedule, Jiangsu is to meet the Beijing Royal Fighters on Thursday, while Guangdong will face the Tianjin Pioneers on Friday. Enditem
