NANCHANG, China, April 8 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Sharks overtook the Shenzhen Aviators 120-118 in the best-of-three quarterfinals of the 2021-2022 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) playoffs on Friday.
Wang Zhelin pocketed a game-high 27 points and 16 rebounds, followed by Noah Vonleh's 22 points.
Shanghai opened the game with a 5-0 run, but Shenzhen soon made a comeback to tie the score 14-14. Entering the second quarter at 24-21, Shenzhen delivered a 13-1 run to lead the first half 55-46.
Wang and Luo Hanchen joined hands to help Shanghai cut the deficit to 83-81 into the final period. Both sides had the lead changed until the last minute when Wang locked the win for Shanghai with his free throws.
Elsewhere, the Zhejiang Lions beat the Jilin Northeast Tigers 93-84 as Zhejiang power forward Jarrod Jones notched 15 points and 13 rebounds.
After a seesaw battle in the first quarter, Jilin took a 24-22 lead. Jones stood out with aggressive attack in the second quarter by grabbing 10 points for Zhejiang. When Feng Xin failed in a three-pointer, Zhejiang fought back to lead 50-42 at halftime.
Jiang Zewei's 3-pointer and Jiang Yuxing's shots under the basket helped Jilin narrow the gap to six in the last two minutes. Facing pressure from the double Jiangs, Jones made a critical three-pointer when he returned to the court to seal Zhejiang's victory. ■
