CBA Roundup: Guangdong eases past Zhejiang into semifinals

NANCHANG, China, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Defending champions the Guangdong Southern Tigers advanced into the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) semifinals after they overwhelmed the Zhejiang Golden Bulls 97-82 in the playoffs here on Saturday.

Xu Jie of Guangdong notched a game-high 25 points, shooting six of 10, while his teammate Yi Jianlian contributed 21 points plus 11 rebounds. Led by Liu Zeyi's 17 points, Zhejiang shot only 33.8 percent and only made seven three-pointers from 30 attempts.

Guangdong opened the game with aggressive attacks in the paint, as Yi set the tone with his two-handed slam dunk, helping his team lead 29-18 in the first quarter. With consecutive three-pointers, Zhejiang cut the deficit to just one point at half-time.

Xu was at the hub of the incisive attacks in the third quarter as he scored 12 points in nine minutes, successfully turning the game into a runaway situation. Zhejiang's defense improved in the final minutes but the team couldn't turn the tide.

"Our opponents made the game very tough for us to win and I really respect and appreciate it. I've made much progress after the rivalry and I believe it's the same for my teammates," Xu said after the game.

Elsewhere, the Liaoning Flying Leopards also moved into the semifinals after edging the Shanxi Loongs 115-109. Zhang Zhenlin of Liaoning was on fire, shooting 10 of 18, including seven three-pointers in the second half to lead his team's comeback win as Shanxi prevailed 55-46 at half-time.

The regular-season title holder will meet Guangdong next Wednesday to embark on the best-of-five semifinals.