Bayi in driving seat with 103-100 victory

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-03-24 22:46


Bayi Fubang's big center Wang Zhizhi shoots against the defence from Guangdong Hongyuan's rising star Yi Jianlian in the finals of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA).
 

NINGBO, East China, March 24 -- Wang Zhizhi scored 34 points and grabbed 15 rebounds to put Bayi Fubang onto a 3-1 lead after Saturday's 103-100 overtime win over Guangdong Hongyuan in the finals of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA).

Bayi is one win away from its eighth CBA championships after the military powerhouse won the first seven seasons in the 12-year league.

Wang grabbed a crucial offesive rebound with 10.3 seconds left in the overtime to make it 101-97 with two free-throws.

Point guard Zhang Zhe, who was 3-out-of-4 on the 3-pointer to score 10 points, buried a deseperate 3-pointer to close it on 101-100 with 1.9 seconds left.

Bayi's Chen Ke made another two free-throws before Greene Terrence's last attempt from the middle line kissed the rim of the basket when the clock was running off.

Forward Mo Ke had 19 points, eight rebounds and seven steals for Bayi, who could wrap up the best-of-seven series on Game 5 in Dongguan on Wednesday.

Wang Shipeng led Guangdong with 23 points, while Yi Jianlian having 19 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

After a 7-0 start, Guangdong led all the way into the fourth quarter on 66-58, as it did every time in the finals.

The visiters led as many as 14 points during the period but saw it being cut off again by its tough opponents, who took the first lead on Wang's 3-pointer on 84-82 with just over two minutes to go in the regular time.

Yi made a turn-around jumper with 18.1 seconds to tie it 87 all and Bayi failed to call it the game on Li Nan's missing shot.



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