Fujian Xunxing won its opener in the first round matches of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Sunday, beating Zhejiang Cyclone 84-79 at home.

Sun Ming beat the 24-second buzzer with a 3-pointer under suffocated defense to put Fujian ahead at 82-79 with 1:45 to go.

American forward Brian Hendrick added a 10-foot jumper with 57 seconds left to nail down the victory for Fujian, which was relegated after the CBA expands the league from 12 teams to 14 in the 2004-05 season.

Veteran forward Wu Naiqun led Zhejiang, which finished at the bottom of the league last season, with the game-high 38 points and nine rebounds. No other his Chinese teammates had double-digital figures.

"We lost two starters due to injuries before the game, but our young players picked up the offense load to win the game," said coach Xiao Guangbi of Fujian.

Zhu Shilong led Fujian with 21 points and Hendrick added 20 and eight rebounds. The home team was 10-of-23 behind the arc.

(Xinhua News Agency November 15, 2004)