The Shanxi Loongs pulled off a thrilling 132-127 overtime victory against the Shenzhen Leopards on Tuesday night in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Despite playing without suspended American guard Brandon Goodwin, the Loongs rallied to secure their 17th win of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) regular season.
The game began evenly, with both teams tied at 16-16 in the first quarter. Shenzhen then surged ahead with a 13-2 run to lead 29-18. However, Shanxi quickly answered with an 8-0 run, narrowing the gap to 29-26.
In the second quarter, Shenzhen’s Zhou Peng was hot from beyond the arc, sinking all four of his three-point attempts. Yet, Shanxi’s sharpshooters responded, hitting five triples in the quarter. Hamidou Diallo, Zhang Ning, and newly signed American guard Walt Lemon Jr. all scored in double digits in the first half, giving Shanxi a slim 60-58 lead at halftime.
The battle for the lead intensified in the third quarter. Midway through, Zhou Peng left the game due to injury but returned later. His teammates stepped up, and Shenzhen outscored Shanxi 17-10 to close the quarter ahead 91-85.
Zhou returned in the fourth quarter, drawing a foul on a three-point attempt and making two of three free throws. Diallo continued to drive Shanxi’s offense, with support from Zhang Ning, who hit back-to-back shots to tie the game at 119-119, forcing overtime.
Overtime remained fiercely competitive. Diallo fouled out with Shanxi leading 130-125. Shenzhen’s Lu Pengyu made two free throws to cut the deficit to three. In the closing moments, Zhou Peng missed a potential game-tying three-pointer. Shanxi’s Jia Mingru was fouled and secured the win by sinking both free throws.
In another CBA matchup that night, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers defeated the Beikong Royal Fighters 100-93 on the road, extending their winning streak to four games.
Reference(s):
Shanxi Loongs battle back to defeat Shenzhen Leopards in overtime
cgtn.com
