Guangdong win sixth CBA title in seven seasons

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-04-26 09:55

Guangdong win sixth CBA title in seven seasons
Guangdong Hongyuan players(From L to R), Zhu Fangyu, Du Feng, Wang Shipeng, Smush Parker celebrate after they win the finals of Chinese Basketball Association league in Dongguan, April 25, 2010. [Xinhua]

DONGGUAN, South China - Guangdong Hongyuan won Sunday the sixth title in seven seasons after beating Xinjiang Guanghui 103-94 in the finals of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) here.

This was the second three-beat for the defending champions, which won the series by 4-1.

Zhu Fangyu scored 29 points to lead Guangdong to 81-60 at the end of the third quarter, leaving the last 12 minutes as a prolonged crown ceremony.

The home team won the third quarter 32-15 to stamp the domination when Xinjiang's defence fell apart.

Charles Gaines had the game-high 30 points and 11 rebounds, while teammates Myron Allen and Xi Ruilijiang adding 17 points apiece.

Guangdong opened the game with a quick 9-2 run before Xinjiang reunited to fight back to 20-16.

They pushed hard for an early big lead but fell short when Xinjiang took the advantage of a fast-paced first half to steal the lead by 42-41, the only lead for the visiting team of the night.

After regaining a 49-45 lead on the break, Guangdong used a 7-0 run after coming back to open a double-digit-number gap, which Xinjiang never closed up.

This was the second consecutive season that Xinjjiang lost the finals 4-1 to Guangdong.