Liaoning Men's Basketball Team Advances to Quarters at National Games
DONGGUAN, China, Nov. 6 (Xinhua) -- The defending champion Liaoning men's basketball team remained undefeated at the 15th Chinese National Games, securing a spot in the quarterfinals with a hard-fought 93-90 victory over Beijing on Thursday. This win marks their third straight triumph in the tournament.
In other matches, Guangdong demonstrated a strong second-half performance, rallying from a seven-point deficit to defeat Jiangsu 96-73 and advance to the next round. The Liaoning-Beijing game was a tightly contested affair from the start. Beijing initially took a 7-0 lead, but Liaoning quickly responded with a 9-2 run. Zhai Xiaochuan's crucial 3-pointer gave Beijing a narrow 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The game remained close throughout the second quarter, with Beijing holding a five-point lead at one point. However, Yuan Shuai's exceptional scoring streak, netting eight points in just two minutes, propelled Liaoning to a 47-42 halftime advantage.
Liaoning maintained their lead in the third quarter, holding a 63-58 margin mid-quarter. Yet, Beijing's star player, Fang Shuo, who had been on fire from beyond the arc, helped his team narrow the deficit to just one point as the game progressed towards the final period.
With seven seconds left and the score tied at 91-91, Beijing had a chance to take the lead, but Liao Sanning missed a crucial free throw after being fouled by Zhao Jiwei. Following this, Beijing resorted to foul tactics, and Liaoning's Han Dejun calmly sank two free throws to secure the victory.
"This tight game will benefit both teams in their development," said Liaoning head coach Yang Ming. "It's a strategic win, and I want to commend our veterans, like Han Dejun and Li Xiaoxu, for their dedication and teamwork."
Guangdong, on the other hand, faced a seven-point deficit at halftime against Jiangsu. However, they staged a remarkable 18-0 run in the third quarter to take control of the game. Jiangsu fought back, narrowing the gap to 62-55, but Guangdong's strong performance in the fourth quarter, led by Xu Jie's 29 points, solidified their double-digit lead and ultimately sealed their victory.
Guangdong's Jiao Boqiao shared with Xinhua, "Our coach, Du Feng, reminded us at halftime not to be concerned. He believed we could beat Jiangsu."
In other games, Zhejiang secured a spot in the knockout stage with an 85-81 win over Shandong, Sichuan advanced to the elimination round with a dominant 117-84 victory over Hong Kong, Henan defeated Hubei 104-84, and Jilin kept their quarterfinal hopes alive with a 102-84 win over Macao.
