BEIJING, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Quentin Peterson scored 35 points to lead the Xinjiang Flying Tigers past the Jilin Northeast Tigers 137-120 in the 34th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Thursday night.
Facing his former team, Peterson put on a commanding display, hitting five three-pointers in the first half alone and helping Xinjiang to a 67-54 lead at halftime.
After the break, Xinjiang maintained its momentum through a balanced inside-outside offense, extending the advantage. A late three-pointer by Zhao Rui pushed the visitors' lead to 25 points.
Zhao made a team high 26 points for Xinjiang. Czech player Tomas Kyzlink shone for Jilin with a game-high 45 points.
Elsewhere, defending champion Liaoning Flying Leopards initially led by 10 points against the league-leading Zhejiang Lions in the first half. However, Hu Jinqiu's clutch performance kept Zhejiang on track, and the hosts pulled away in the fourth quarter to triumph 108-93. Hu paced Zhejiang with 27 points and nine rebounds.
In other games, the Jiangsu Dragons beat the Tianjin Pioneers 99-93; the Shandong Heroes downed the Ningbo Rockets 112-102; the Zhejiang Golden Bulls outplayed the Fujian Sturgeons 134-112; the Shanghai Sharks cruised past the Guangdong Southern Tigers 115-81; the Beijing Ducks topped the Shenzhen Leopards 104-86; the Beijing Royal Fighters edged the Guangzhou Loong Lions 116-113; and the Qingdao Eagles defeated the Sichuan Blue Whales 104-93. ■
