HANGZHOU, China, May 7 (Xinhua) -- The Beijing Ducks defeated the Zhejiang Lions 101-87 on the road, taking a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven final series of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Wednesday.
"We were well-prepared for this game, but credit to Zhejiang -- they're exceptionally strong. They came out with a lot of momentum early on, which put us under significant pressure. However, we never gave up. Through solid defense, aggressive rebounding, and disciplined execution of our game plan, we managed to turn things around and regain control of the game," Beijing head coach Xu Limin said after the game.
Trailing by 14 points, Beijing staged a 17-3 second-quarter rally to level the game on 55-55 at the break. Beijing started the final period with a 9-0 run, expanding the advantage to 12 points and never looked back.
Eugene German led Beijing with 24 points, plus 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Chen Yingjun added 23 points and Nuni Omot made 14 points. Zhou Qi contributed 13 points and 14 rebounds.
Hu Jinqiu had 26 points and 8 rebounds for Zhejiang, followed by Barry Brown with 15 points. Nathan Knight had 13 points and Josh Carlton added 12 points.
The Zhejiang Lions is aiming for its first-ever championship in its third Finals appearance. It was swept in its previous two finals appearances.
The Beijing Ducks, returning to the final stage after a decade-long absence, has won all its previous trips to the championship series and hopes to claim the title for a fourth time. ■
