Wu Qian named MVP as South beats North to win CBA All-Star game

　　Wu Qian. [Photo/Xinhua]

QINGDAO -- Wu Qian scored a game-high 23 points and won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) trophy, as his team, the South defeated the North 123-109 at the 2021 CBA All-Star game here on Sunday.

Center Zhou Qi opened the game with a dunk and Hu Mingxuan from the South answered with a three-pointer. The North grabbed a 26-20 lead when the first quarter ran out, as Zhao Jiwei contributed eight points.

With Hu scoring seven points in the following quarter, the South tied the game for a while and trailed by four points at halftime.

Wu Qian took center stage in the third quarter, as he buried all five three-pointers and earned 17 points, helping the South surpass by three points before the last period.

Wu Qian (center) of the South Team poses with the MVP trophy after the CBA All-Star Game at the 2020-2021 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Qingdao, east China's Shandong province, March 21, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

After Hu made a layup, the South established a 10-point advantage with one minute remaining, and their strong defense secured the victory.

Besides Wu's big contribution, Wang Zhelin got 20 points and seven rebounds for the South and Hu Mingxuan added 14 points.

For the North, Zhao grabbed a team-high 20 points, Zhou pocketed 14 points, Yu Changdong and Guo Ailun took 13 points each.

During the interval, Hu Mingxuan beat the defending champion Chen Linjian to clinch the Three-Point Shooting Contest title, and Wu Yongsheng defeated Feng Xin to win the Skill Challenge Contest.

In the Slam Dunk Contest, the night's highlight, rookie Zhang Zhenlin edged the grassroots player Chen Dengxing with two breathtaking dunks to take the title.