CBA Roundup: Qingdao overcome Guangdong, Shanghai rout Ningbo

BEIJING: Stefan Moody had a triple-double as the Qingdao Eagles defeated the Guangdong Southern Tigers 109-99, while the Shanghai Sharks avenged their loss to the Ningbo Rockets two months ago with a 116-77 rout in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).

Moody finished with 35 points, 10 boards and 12 assists. His fifth 3-pointer of the game with 1:05 remaining all but secured Qingdao's win as the visiting side went up 104-91, reports Xinhua.

"We were focused on defense, and players showed their confidence on the court, which was crucial," said Qingdao coach Liu Weiwei.

Promising Qingdao center Yang Hansen provided the first highlight-reel moment of the match, cutting inside past Xu Xin for a one-handed dunk, while Tremont Waters finished an alley-oop from Ren Junfei's pass at the other end.

Qingdao had a bad first quarter from beyond the arc, making only one of their first 11 three-point attempts. Waters scored 11 of Guangdong's first 17 points, before Qingdao scored seven points in a row to pull within 17-15. Du Runwang helped steady Guangdong with a shot from 3-point range and Guangdong led 20-15 as the first quarter ran out.

Qingdao began to claw back in the second period, riding on a 14-0 run in a span of over three minutes to race ahead 47-37 on the way to a 51-41 lead at halftime.

Qingdao found their shooting touch from distance after the intermission, as consecutive 3-pointers from Wang Ruize and Zhao Jiayi helped Qingdao to an 11-point advantage going into the final 12 minutes.

Earlier on Tuesday, 18-year-old rookie Yang, who scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Guangdong, was selected in the North Conference starting lineup for the 2024 All-Star Weekend in March, along with Liaoning Flying Leopards duo Zhang Zhenlin and Zhao Jiwei, and Xinjiang Flying Tigers forward Abdusalam Abdurexit and guard Zhao Rui.

Guangdong's three-game winning streak was brought to an end. Waters shot 15 of 28 to score 35 points. Hu Mingxuan added 16. Fellow guard Xu Jie, who turns 24 on Tuesday, had a miserable night on his birthday as he was held to 2-of-11 shooting and six points.

"We didn't do well in the second quarter," admitted Guangdong coach Du Feng. "As a young team, we need to play with more energy."

Hu was voted into the South Conference's starters alongside his teammate Zhou Qi, who sat out Tuesday's game. Other starters are Hu Jinqiu and Sun Minghui of the Zhejiang Lions, and Guangzhou Loong Lions forward Cui Yongxi.

With star center Wang Zhelin sidelined, Shanghai endured a shocking 103-96 loss to Ningbo on November 13, 2023.

But it was totally different scenario when the two sides met again. Wang was back in action, contributing a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds. Eric Bledsoe, who was not in the Shanghai squad in the November game, notched a game-high 34 points.

Leading by 12 points at the break, Shanghai used a 37-15 third quarter to pull away. Three other Shanghai players finished in double digits.

Suffering their seventh straight skid, Ningbo found it difficult to match a complete Shanghai squad on the offensive end. Damyean Dotson led Ningbo with 22 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.