BEIJING, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Zhao Jiwei starred as the Liaoning Flying Leopards overcame the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 82-75 at home Friday night in the 15th round of the CBA.
In a rematch of the finals from two seasons ago, Xinjiang and Liaoning faced off once again, though both teams have struggled this season.
Liaoning received a timely boost with the return of star guard Zhao, a member of the Chinese national team, who was in impressive form. Zhao led all scorers with 24 points and also topped the assists chart with seven, helping his team control the game.
Xinjiang's guards, however, were no match for Zhao. Xirzat Samat struggled on both ends, allowing Liaoning to pull away each time Xinjiang closed the gap. Liaoning ultimately secured an 82-75 victory.
In another surprising result, the Shanghai Sharks dominated the Guangdong Southern Tigers on the road. Shanghai jumped to an 18-point lead in the first quarter and continued to widen the gap, cruising to a 113-73 rout.
The struggling Beijing Ducks continued their slide, losing 90-84 at home to the Shanxi Loongs.
Elsewhere, the Nanjing Monkey Kings crushed the Shenzhen Leopards 115-86, the Tianjin Pioneers thrashed the Fujian Sturgeons 106-76, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls beat the Guangzhou Loong Lions 89-75, and the Jiangsu Dragons narrowly defeated the Beijing Royal Fighters 105-100. The Qingdao Eagles won 80-67 over the Jilin Northeast Tigers, the Zhejiang Lions overcame the Sichuan Blue Whales 93-69, and the Shandong Heroes triumphed 109-82 against the Ningbo Rockets. ■
