HANGZHOU, Oct. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Royal Fighters overcame the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 98-95, while the Shenzhen Aviators edged the powerhouse Guangdong Southern Tigers 91-90 in the third round of the 2022-2023 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Saturday.
The Royal Fighters took a six-point lead in the first quarter, but Xinjiang soon came back with a 17-0 run to end the first half 50-43.
After the interval, Royal Fighters delivered an 11-2 scoring run to cut the deficit to two points, ending the third quarter 73-71.
In a seesawing last quarter, Wang Shaojie's dunk helped the Royal Fighters tie the game at 80-80. After Xinjiang's Huang Rongqi failed the 3-point attempt before the buzzer, the Beijing Royal Fighters sealed the victory.
"Our guys fought hard from the beginning of the game, and they never stop fighting. Everyone stepped up, (Liao) Sanning, he had a really good game, made some big shots at the end of the game," said Beijing head coach Stephon Marbury.
Liao contributed 17 points, seven boards and seven assists for the Royal Fighters.
"Xinjiang is a tough team. They played really well. We are a young team, and all we can do is challenge. Everyone made their efforts. The victory is for all of us," he said.
Playing against the powerhouse Guangdong Southern Tigers, the Shenzhen Aviators started the second half with a one-point advantage and managed to keep it until the end of the game 91-90, as Zhao Rui's 3-point attempt to turn the game around for Guangdong missed the target.
In the other two games on Saturday, the Jilin Northeast Tigers beat the Fujian Sturgeons 93-85, and the Jiangsu Dragons defeated the Zhejiang Lions 86-80. ■
