Sonny Weems (R) of Guangdong Southern Tigers shoots during the 28th round match between Guangdong Southern Tigers and Zhejiang Lions at the 2020-2021 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, Jan. 11, 2021. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
ZHUJI, China, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Guangdong Southern Tigers held on to a 122-114 victory and brought the Zhejiang Lions' three-game winning streak to a halt, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers rode on a dominant second quarter to crush over the Fujian Sturgeons 126-92 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Monday.
Guangdong led by 24 points early in the fourth quarter after Marshon Brooks hit a pair of free throws, but Li Jinglong and Zhao Yanhao drained consecutive shots from 3-point range in Zhejiang's 16-0 surge from there.
Brooks' 3-pointer ended Guangdong's scoring drought for over four minutes, and Zhejiang came no closer than eight points afterward.
Brooks shot 11 of 19 from the floor to finish with a game-high 35 points and seven assists. Sonny Weems and Ren Junfei contributed 24 and 17 points, respectively.
After a 31-29 first quarter in Guangdong's favor, Zhejiang managed to escape first as Zhao, the latest winner of the CBA Player of the Week award, capped a 9-0 scoring run midway through the second period. Brooks's seven points earned Guangdong a 13-2 spurt on their way to a 59-55 halftime advantage.
Weems and Zhao Rui combined for 19 points after the break, but Feng Xin and Zhao Yanhao knocked down three long-range shots to keep Zhejiang within striking distance.
With bench players on the court, Guangdong showed no sign of a slowdown. Ren snatched 10 points in a row to maintain Guangdong's cushion to over 10 points, and a brace of free throws from Brooks set it 98-79 going into the final quarter.
Zhao Rui was ruled an unsportsmanlike foul in guarding Zhao Yanhao's three-pointer attempt, and the latter converted the ensuing three foul shots. After Miroslav Radulica converted a jumper in the next possession, Zhejiang pulled it within eight points but failed to come back.
Zhao led five Zhejiang players in double figures with a career-high 33 points. Radulica added 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Resting star duo of Wang Zhelin and Chen Linjian, Fujian could not threaten a balanced Xinjiang side, who witnessed seven players in double-digit points.
Promising Xinjiang small forward Qi Lin shot 10 of 13 from the field to score 23 points. Lutpulla had 22 points. China's national team center Zhou Qi recorded 16 points and eight boards.
Already establishing a 10-point lead as the first quarter expired, Xinjiang outscored Fujian 37-19 in the next period and led 67-39 at halftime.
The match was effectively over for Fujian, depleted of enough weapons, after the third quarter as they trailed by 25 points. Qi managed two spectacular slam dunks down the stretch.
Foreign players keyed Fujian's offense, with Robert Golden and Andrew Nicholson scoring 51 points altogether.
The 29th round will kick off on Tuesday, as top-ranked Liaoning Flying Leopards will face the Shandong Heroes. Enditem
