QINGDAO: The Liaoning Flying Leopards overcame the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 119-113 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) semifinals to take a 2-0 victory in the best-of-three series.
Xinjiang built a 33-22 lead in the first quarter, as rookie Qi Lin hit all three three-pointers.
Turning the table to race ahead 44-39 midway through the following quarter, Liaoning grabbed a seven-point lead when the first half expired. With O.J. Mayo and Guo Ailun scoring five three-pointers, the Flying Leopards enlarged the margin to 16 points in the third quarter.
Xinjiang then rallied back to cut the deficit to only two points before the last quarter. After Guo converted a layup in a fast break, Liaoning regained a five-point lead with 24 seconds remaining. Mayo added one more point on the free-throw line to seal the victory for Liaoning, which will face the winners between the Guangdong Southern Tigers and the Beijing Ducks in the finals. – Agencies
