Jiangsu withstand late drama to edge Tianjin in CBA
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E-mail Xinhua, November 10, 2020
The Jiangsu Dragons survived a late scare to edge the Tianjin Pioneers 108-105 for their third win of the 2020-21 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on Monday.
Both sides began the game in the bottom half of the 19-team table, with Jiangsu in 16th and Tianjin - who finally had its first victory this season after a close win over the Jilin Northeastern Tigers on Friday - sitting 18th.
Tianjin made a solid 15-3 start but Jiangsu rounded into form and closed the gap with Sun Xin scoring seven points in a row. The two sides traded points in the following minutes and Jiangsu tied the game three minutes into the second quarter, with Zheng Qilong coming off the bench to score 11. With Shi Hongfei and Jin Xin firing the team forwards, Tianjin entered the break with a slender 53-51 lead.
Jiangsu went on a 9-0 run to turn the tables at the begining of the third quarter, and a deep 3-pointer by Shi in the closing seconds - the sixth by Jiangsu this quarter - helped the team defend their 81-73 lead in the last 12 minutes.
However, with star center Wu Guanxi temporarily forced off after his fifth personal foul early in the fourth quarter, Jiangsu withstood pressure inside the paint as Tianjin embarked on a 10-2 run. Wu's return 5:21 from time helped Jiangsu score six in a row, but Tianjin answered with an 8-0 run to make it a one possession game which they trailed 95-96.
Leading scorer Jin fouling out in the last 22 seconds was a big blow to Tianjin, and Huang Rongqi made the two free throws to allow Jiangsu to lead 104-99. Meng Zikai rose to the occasion with an in-your-face 3-pointer to keep the suspense, but when Tianjin used foul strategy, Shi made all the free throws to help Jiangsu clinch the win 108-105.
Zheng had a game-high 24 points for Jiangsu, while Shi added 22 points and nine assists. Jin had 20 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in vain for Tianjin.
"I'd like to congratulate my players for winning this difficult game. The coaching team made comprehensive and detailed plan and the players stayed focus and gave it all on the court," said Jiangsu coach Li Nan, adding that his players still needed to learn from their opponents on how to play in an aggressive and physical way.
Tianjin coach Liu Tie criticized his team's defense, while Shi Deshuai, who contributed 19 points and eight rebounds, attributed the loss to immaturity at crucial moments.
Jiangsu will face Xinjiang in the next round, while Tianjin will take on Shandong.
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