Liaoning Hunters escaped from being the first team to be wiped
off in straight games as it beat Guangdong Hongyuan 105-96 in the
final of the Chinese Basketball Association league (CBA) in
Bayuquan, North China on Wednesday.
Guangdong, which led the series by 3-1, could close up the
best-of-seven series on Friday's home game. And if not, it has to
come back here on Sunday for Game 6.
Zhang Qingpeng had a game-high 31 points while Olumide Oyedeji
had 25 points and 11 rebounds for Liaoning.
"People were talking about wipe-off and a recording 4-0 before
the match. Tonight we came out for the best match in my two-year
coaching career here," Liaoning's coach Guo Shiqiang said.
Liaoning scored over 100 points for the first time in four games
and gave lots of pressure inside the key.
Power forward Li Xiaoxu scored 10 out of his 27 points in the
fourth quarter to secure the victory despite dismal performances in
the previous three games.
"This is my first final. I had too much pressure before. But
tonight I collected my confidence and did what I should do," Li
said.
Zhu Fangyu led Guangdong with 29 points but shot 2-out-of-8 on
3-pointers, the worst in four games.
"We didn't expect them to attack from the post. We
underestimated their come-back under such circumstances. I took the
responsibility for the loss," Guangdong's coach Li Chunjiang
said.
Li scored 11 straight points at the beginning and the first half
was quite even as teams exchanged lead several times.
The turning point came before the break when Liaoning used a
15-1 run to take a 61-50 lead on Yang Ming's beat-the-buzzer
3-pointer.
Guangdong closed it to under 10 points several time but never
really challenged the home team's leading position.
(Xinhua News Agency February 21, 2008)