CBA Roundup: Ningbo claims first win, Shanxi thrashes Beijing

ZHUJI, China, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The young Ningbo Rockets earned their first win after smashing the Nanjing Monkey Kings 108-92 while the Shanxi Loongs completed a double-kill against the Beijing Royal Fighters after a 105-94 victory in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Saturday.

Before the game tipped off, Ningbo was the tailender of the league on a 12-match winless streak, and Nanjing ranked the second to last.

Led by Sun Mingyang and Sun Rongxiao, Nanjing started the game with an 8-0 dash, while veteran Zhang Biao stood out to help Ningbo catch up from behind, with an 11-3 answer. Nanjing ended the first quarter with only a one-point lead.

However, Nanjing was caught in a three-minute scoring drought in the beginning of the second quarter. Although Wang Xu broke the predicament with a three-pointer for Nanjing, the team could not reverse the momentum in the rest of the first half which ended 53-41.

The third quarter was a seesaw matchup at first as both teams found their rhythm, but as Ningbo rode on a 13-0 scoring run in the midway of the quarter, the young team made it a lopsided game.

Zhang Biao shot down a game-high 25 points for Ningbo, and his teammate C.J. Trotter contributed a triple-double of 14 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Wang Xu scored 25 points, plus six rebounds and five assists for Nanjing.

"The first win is very important for the young players in our team," Zhang said after the game, adding that they could win the battle because they had a perfect execution of the game plan.

Shanxi built a 16-point advantage over Beijing in the half of the game, leaving little chance for their rivals to catch up.

Three players scored over 20 points for Shanxi, led by Yuan Shuai's 28. Kahlil Felder also contributed 25 points and 16 assists.

Also on Saturday, the Shenzhen Aviators had a big reversal over the Shanghai Sharks 118-108, while the Zhejiang Golden Bulls cruised past the Sichuan Blue Whales 111-81.