QINGDAO: The Xinjiang Flying Tigers, the runners-up in the 2019-20 regular season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), tamed the Tianjin Pioneers 105-93 here on Saturday.
Establishing a 12-point lead in the first quarter, Xinjiang extended the margin to 14 points at the end of the first half, in which center Zhou Qi and Tang Caiyu combined for 24 points for Xinjiang.
Tianjian managed to cut the deficit to five points in the third quarter, but Xinjiang launched a 9-2 run and regained a double-digit lead.
Relying on the ruling power in the paint, the Flying Tigers dampened Tianjin’s comeback in the last quarter and maintained the lead until the end.
Zhou got a team-high 20 points and 10 rebounds for Xinjiang, Tang finished with 16 points, and Qi Lin contributed 14 points.
On the Tianjin side, Jin Xin had a game-high 26 points, Meng Zikai collected 14 points, and Tian Yu took 11 points.
“Tianjin didn’t give up and fought back hard, and this is good for the CBA league. Every team needs to prepare every game carefully,” said Adiljan, coach of Xinjiang.
“The players did their best and carried out the plan well. We need time for the young players to get more experience,” said Tianjin coach Liu Tie. – Agencies
