Dongguan stay unbeaten, Beijing overcome Xinjiang

BEIJING - Defending champions Dongguan extended their winning streak to 12 games after an 85-74 triumph over the short-handed Shanxi in the 12th round of the 2019-2020 season of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) on Thursday.

The victory also consolidated Dongguan's lead at top of the table as the only unbeaten team of the league.

Dongguan made the most of Elizabeth Cambage's absent right after the kick-off. The 2.01-meter Li Yueru and the 1.85m Aerial Powers combined to storm a 14-2 run, leading Dongguan to win the first ten minutes 25-16.

Shanxi, however, showed its resilience at home for the rest of the game. Wu Tongtong put Shanxi on her back as the 1.75m guard's one-on-one hit facing Li Yueru sealed the score at 34-41 before the intermission, and her three-point play in the second minute of the third quarter cut the deficits to only one point.

It was Huang Sijing who stood out for Dongguan. Her seven points in the dying minutes of the third quarter gave the visitors a break, keeping a 62-55 advantage before the final ten minutes. Shanxi managed to close the gap to 70-73 with four minutes on the clock, but a late 12-0 run from Dongguan snuffed out any hope of a comeback.

Powers scored a game-high 25 points for Dongguan. Li Yueru added 20 points and 14 rebounds.

Meanwhile, the league powerhouses Beijing overcame their old rivals Xinjiang 88-73 as Beijing fired 10 three-pointers with only five from the opponents. The victory on the road also raised Beijing above Shanxi to the second place on the table.

In other games on Thursday, Shanghai smashed Henan 91-66, Jiangsu trounced Hebei 82-54, Tianjin overcame Shaanxi 100-92, Daqing beat Wuhan 90-80, Shandong defeated Fujian 80-72, Bayi saw off Sichuan 103-90, and Zhejiang won over Inner Mongolia 75-67.