Jiangsu trounce Qingdao in CBA

QINGDAO, China - Antonio Blakeney racked up a game-high 37 points and eight rebounds, helping the Jiangsu Dragons thrash Qingdao Eagles 114-85 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Monday.

Blakeney had a stable performance, contributing around 10 points every quarter. Teammate Wu Guanxi also scored 24 points, making 10 out of 13. Zhang Chengyu of Qingdao notched 21 points, however, the team only had a 37 percent shot rate.

"We did not play hard on the court, and we did a bad job both offensively and defensively," rued Qingdao head coach Wu Qinglong at the post-game press conference.

"Everyone was in low spirits and we need to learn the lesson," he added.

Jiangsu made a ruthless start on an 8-0 run to gain an advantage in the first quarter. Blakeney blitzed his opponents with tough jump shots, but Qingdao managed to find rhythm and shaved off the deficit to 43-41 at half time.

Qingdao was subject to fierce attacks in the second half while being wayward with their shots. Wu was at the hub of Jiangsu's incisive attacks in the last quarter, shooting seven for seven, which turned the game into runaway situation.

"We did what the coach had required before the game, and fought to the end to clinch a victory," Wu said.