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E-mail Xinhua, March 23, 2025
The Zhejiang Golden Bulls prevailed over the Tianjin Pioneers 118-107 with Gabriel York's unstoppable shots, while the Zhejiang Lions edged the Shanxi Loongs 110-107 and snapped their 3-game winning streak in the 43rd round of the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) season on Saturday.
The Golden Bulls started strong with Damian Jones and York leading an 8-0 run in the first quarter. Three-pointers from Tianjin's Du Bochao and Marcus Lovett soon answered the challenge, only to be overwhelmed by Zhejiang's flurry of shots from Wu Qian and Jones, leaving them with a 13-point lead before the second half.
However, the Pioneers mustered a fearsome offensive in the third quarter as Javion Hamlet poured in accurate shots and cut seven points in a mere two minutes. Unfortunately, the tenacious Golden Bulls unleashed tit-for-tat charges spearheaded by York and Cheng Shuaipeng, re-widening the gap to 13 points. Losing stamina and fighting spirit, the shocked Pioneers missed multiple free throws in the final quarter, handing Zhejiang a landslide victory.
York became the center of Zhejiang's victory and led all players with 41 points, while Yu Jiahao and Jones pocketed double-doubles of 22 points and 15 rebounds, and 15 points and 12 rebounds, respectively. On the Tianjin side, Javion Hamlet had 27 points, followed by Du Bochao's 24 and Tian Yu's 20 points.
In another matchup on Saturday, the winning Shanxi was met by the first-ranked Zhejiang Lions and suffered a narrow defeat in the final seconds.
The two teams went all out and exchanged shots in the first half of the game, with the Lions securing an upper hand with a 9-point lead. Shanxi's Zhang Ning and Brandon Goodwin led the team with lay-ups and powerful shots, cutting the deficit to only three points before the final whistle. However, Zhang missed the last three-pointer, leaving the Lions' position unchallenged.
Elsewhere, the Qingdao Eagles defeated the Jilin Northeast Tigers 95-88, the Shanghai Sharks edged the Beijing Ducks 94-91, the Liaoning Flying Leopards rallied past the Guangzhou Loong Lions 135-108, and the Shandong Heroes surpassed the Jiangsu Dragons 102-83.
In other 43rd-round matchups, the Beijing Royal Fighters overwhelmed the Shenzhen Leopards 105-91, the Nanjing Monkey Kings cruised past the Fujian Sturgeons 136-111, the Guangdong Southern Tigers crushed the Ningbo Rockets 112-92, and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers smashed the Sichuan Blue Whales 115-86.
