With three key scorers on the bench, defending champions Guangdong Southern Tigers held off Sichuan Blue Whales comeback 111-108, thanks to Hu Mingxuan's career-high 36 points in the fifth round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Tuesday.

Hu, last season's Most Valuable Player of the Finals, shot 11 out of 28 in 29 minutes when starters Yi Jianlian, Zhou Peng and Zhao Rui were rested this round.

Guangdong got off to a 32-23 first quarter, only to lose the second and the third. With 13 seconds on the clock in the final quarter, the score was 107-107.

Hu made all four free throws from a double-foul call and a back-court foul to pocket the victory.

"After four rounds of tough games, we were thinking about adjusting our key players this round and giving the young players some chances, but it seems that the rookies are still not ready to shoulder the team," said Guangdong's head coach Du Feng.

Shanghai Sharks had an overwhelming 117-93 win over Fujian Sturgeons, but coach Li Chunjiang was more concerned about the team's 26 turnovers.

"Although we won today, there is still a lot to improve," said Li, adding that familiarity comes with time in a young team that had just been through substantial rotation changes.

Wang Zhelin, former Fujian's center, led Shanghai with the game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds. The Sharks led from start to finish, leading as many as over 30 points in the third quarter. Everyone on Shanghai's roster scored, with five contributing double-digits.

In other games, the Shenzhen Aviators outlasted the Qingdao Eagles 102-92, extending Qingdao's losing streak to four games. The Shandong Heroes beat the Jilin Northeast Tigers 93-87, and the Guangzhou Loong Lions defeated the Nanjing Monkey Kings 100-88.

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