In a nail-biting finish, Xu Jie sank a buzzer-beating jumper to lift the Guangdong Southern Tigers over the Shanxi Loongs with a 121-119 victory on Tuesday night in Dongguan, Guangdong Province. The game was intense from the start, featuring a total of 34 fouls. The physical matchup saw key players like Wang Shaojie of Guangdong and Hamidou Diallo, Jiao Hailong, and Xing Zhiqiang of Shanxi fouling out before the nearly three-hour contest concluded. Shanxi took an early lead with Brandon Goodwin and Diallo orchestrating a 10-2 run, ending the first quarter ahead 29-27. Guangdong fought back in the second quarter with Du Runwang and Troy Gillenwater powering a 12-4 run, giving the home team a 41-35 advantage. However, Shanxi closed the gap, and the first half ended in a 60-60 tie. The third quarter saw both teams exchanging leads. Gillenwater continued to be Guangdong’s offensive powerhouse, while Liu Chuanxing and Yuan Shuai stepped up for Shanxi. A dynamic dunk by Liu, set up by Diallo, put Shanxi ahead 92-90 heading into the final quarter. In the fourth quarter, Guangdong struggled to contain Liu’s dominance in the paint. Shanxi extended their lead to 104-94 with clutch three-pointers from Yuan and Goodwin. Refusing to back down, Du became Guangdong’s hero from beyond the arc, sinking three consecutive three-pointers to keep his team in the game. With just 19 seconds remaining, Goodwin nailed a three-pointer to tie the game at 119-119. Guangdong entrusted the final play to Xu Jie, who calmly dribbled down the clock. With three seconds left, he drove into the paint and released a jumper under heavy defensive pressure. The ball sailed through the net as time expired, sealing an exhilarating victory for the Southern Tigers and snapping their two-game losing streak.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
