HANGZHOU, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Barry Brown scored a game-high 30 points as the Zhejiang Lions defeated the Shenzhen Aviators 92-85 on Sunday to take a 2-0 lead in their best-of-five Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) semifinal series.
Brown added three rebounds and four assists, scoring 12 points in the second quarter before taking control again in the closing stages to guide Zhejiang to victory.
The opening quarter was closely contested, with tensions flaring when Brown and Shenzhen's Lu Pengyu were both handed technical fouls following a pushing incident. Zhejiang gradually pulled away as Rayjon Tucker scored seven straight points, including a three-pointer, to help the Lions build momentum.
Shenzhen responded through Alize Johnson, who helped keep the visitors within reach, but Zhejiang still carried a 52-42 advantage into halftime after the second quarter ended level at 27-27.
The Aviators cut into the deficit in the third quarter during an exchange of three-pointers. Joshua Christopher scored five consecutive points, while He Xining converted all three free throws after being fouled behind the arc. Ibou Badji then added a second-chance basket as Shenzhen reduced the gap to five points entering the final period.
Brown continued to dictate play in the fourth quarter, and Sun Minghui hit a key basket to stretch Zhejiang's lead to seven points late in the game. Zhao Jiaren also produced a crucial defensive play, blocking Wang Haoran's shot attempt in the closing minutes to preserve the advantage.
Hu Jinqiu contributed 17 points and eight rebounds for Zhejiang, while Tucker added 11 points.
"We did a good job protecting the rebounds," Zhejiang head coach Wang Bo said. "The stats were pretty even in terms of assists, steals and turnovers, so when it comes to both our offense and our ability to stop theirs, we probably executed the details better."
He Xining led Shenzhen with 18 points, while Rong Zifeng added 13 points and four assists.
Game 3 will be played in Shenzhen on Thursday. ■
