INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The Beijing Ducks edged the Guangsha Lions 94-92 in Game 5 of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals in Hangzhou, east China's
Zhejiang Province, on Saturday, cutting their deficit in the series to 3-2.Eugene German led Beijing with 21 points and nine assists, while
Zhou Qi contributed a double-double of 11 points and 13 rebounds to go along with four blocks
Chen Ying-Chun, who entered off the bench, added 14 points to help the Ducks' reserves outscore their Guangsha counterparts 41-19.Barry
Brown and Hu Jinqiu both shared the game high of 27 points for the Lions
Brown also distributed nine assists while Hu grabbed 14 rebounds
Sun Minghui tallied 13 points, but missed 12 of his 15 field goal attempts and committed three turnovers
Josh Carlton chipped in with a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds off the bench.Beijing showed unusual defensive aggression from the
beginning, with the visiting side's first field goal coming from German on a breakaway layup after intercepting a pass from Brown
He and Zhou then combined to spark a 10-0 run to put the Ducks in front 14-7, en route to finishing the first quarter with a five-point
lead, 27-22.Hu helped Guangsha attack inside the paint more in the second quarter
The score was tied at 44-44 before Beijing committed a series of turnovers, and the Lions surged to a 52-47 lead at halftime.The Ducks
battled back in the third quarter to pull level at 59-59
Chen and Lei Meng then made three-pointers to help the visitors go back in front 78-74 at the end of the period.Hu stepped up again to carry
Guangsha on offense in the fourth quarter, pouring in six of the team's final 10 points, including a game-tying three-pointer with less than
Sun had a chance to put the Lions back on top when he was fouled by Fang Shuo and sent to the free throw line, but missed both attempts
The hosts grabbed the rebound, but Brown's jumper was blocked by German with a little over 12 seconds left.Zhai Xiaochuan grabbed the loose
ball for Beijing and was fouled by Wu Xiao
The 32-year-old captain made both free throws and the Ducks led 94-92 with 10.2 seconds to go
On Guangsha's final possession, Brown tried to set up Hu inside, but his pass was tapped away by Chen to seal the win for Beijing
The Ducks will host the Lions in Game 6 on Tuesday,
