Sports Desk
QINGDAO: Center Zhou Qi scored 30 points and 15 rebounds to help Xinjiang Flying Tigers hammer Shenzhen Aviators 122-86 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Monday, reaping their fifth straight win.
Xinjiang launched a 10-3 run and forced Shenzhen to call a timeout after the tip-off. The Aviators rallied back and tied the game 12-12. Xinjiang obtained a 30-21 lead in the first quarter, with Xiralijan Muhtar hitting two three-pointers.
Shenzhen cut the deficit to four points after a 10-3 run in the following quarter. Zhou led the Flying Tigers to extend the margin to 16 points as the first half expired.
Zhou scored 15 points in the third quarter and put the game beyond the opponents’ reach.
John Groover got 19 points for Xinjiang, Fan Ziming finished with 13 points and nine rebounds, Muhtar added 12 points, and Tang Caiyu collected 11 points.
Captain Gu Quan scored a team-high 23 points for Shenzhen, Yang Linwei grabbed 18 points, and He Xining contributed 13 points.
“Our players went all out from the beginning to the end. We also tried our new defense system and the young players did a good job,” said Adiljan, coach of Xinjiang.
“Shen Zijie was injured, so we had big difference in the painted area. In the second quarter, we failed to cope well with their zone defense and the gap was enlarged to double digits,” said Qiu Biao, assistant coach of Shenzhen.
