China

Xinjiang edge off Guangdong for top place

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-18 10:30

BEIJING - Two fatal turnovers cost Guangdong Hongyuan a home match and the top place of the league as the defending champions lost to Xinjiang Guanghui 96-93 Sunday of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA).

The loss was the first for Guangdong of the season as they posted 11 wins and one loss for the second place while Xinjiang, which had the identical record, occupied the No. 1 placing for the first time.

Su Wei's open lay-up hit the outer bank of the basket and the substitute center knocked the rebound out of the line when the home team trailed 94-93 with 15.5 seconds left.

Guangdong were awarded another chance of victory when Xinjiang's center Menk Bateer threw the ball wide on the following possession. Su failed to connect a pass inside the key and the ball was scrambled off the line again by Guangdong's players.

Myron Allen put Xinjiang ahead for good with a long-ranged hand-on-face 3-pointer with 35.5 seconds to go on 94-93 to give Xinjiang the biggest victory of the season.

Charles Gains had 27 points and 13 rebounds for Xinjiang while Zhu Fangyu, last-season's MVP, had 32 points and eight rebounds for Guangdong.

Guangdong took an early lead in the opening quarter as they led 28-18 and held the margin until the break.

Guanghui hung on in the third quarter to put the game 73-72 ahead before they gave a beating to the five-time champions, which defeated them 3-1 in the finals of last season.

In Sunday's other matches, Zhejiang Guangsha beat Shannxi Kylin 118-98, Zhejiang Chouzhou defeated Tianjin Ronggang 104-86, Liaoning Panpan overwhelmed Dongguan Marco Polo 131-112, Fujian SBS trounced Bayi Fubang 117-100, Shandong Gold crushed Jilin Northeast Tigers 102-84, Jiangsu Dragons thrashed Qingdao Doubles Stars 95-79 and Shanghai Sharks slashed down Shanxi Zhongyu 125-101.