Guangdong moves past Zhejiang, Shanxi upsets Xinjiang

ZHUJI, China - Defending champions the Guangdong Southern Tigers routed the Zhejiang Golden Bulls 110-94 in the third round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Thursday, extending their unbeaten record in the new season.

Ren Junfei led the Guangdong scoring with 20 points, with Zhao Rui adding 18 points. Zhu Xuhang pitched in a game-high 31 points for Zhejiang.

Both teams smashed their opponents in the previous round, yet their eye-catching clash turned out to be one-sided for Guangdong.

After a close 61-58 first half, Guangdong hit a 14-4 run at the beginning of the third quarter to lead the game by double-digit for the first time. Zeng Fanri and Ren Junfei's points in the paint stretched their lead to near 20 points as Zhejiang struggled to find their rhythm on the offense end.

Zhejiang managed a few shots later, but Guangdong maintained its dominance until the final whistle.

"I appreciate the energy of Zhejiang's young players, and I hope our young players can learn from that," said Guangdong coach Du Fen.

Elsewhere on Thursday, the Shanxi Loongs smashed the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 112-97.

Shanxi came out strong right after the game whistle, nailing a three-pointer and eight consecutive points in the paint and built a seven point advantage entering the second quarter, where they took advantage of Xinjiang's problematic defense for a 41-52 advantage.

Although Shanxi struggled in offense at the beginning of the third quarter, Yuan Shuai and Xing Zhiqiang gradually recovered their form beyond the arc and helped Shanxi resist the comeback effort by Xinjiang.

Kahlil Felder had 25 points, eight rebounds and 12 assists for Shanxi, while Yu Dehao led Xinjiang with 20 points. He also contributed 12 rebounds and eight assists.

Also on Thursday, the Tianjing Pioneers defeated the Qingdao Eagles 91-79, the Guangzhou Loong Lions edged the Beijing Royal Fighters 102-98, the Shenzhen Aviators dominated the Jiangsu Dragons 107-85, and the Liaoning Flying Tigers beat the Jilin Northeast Tigers 103-88.