Liaoning point guard Lester Hudson (R). (Photo : Imagine China)
Streaking Liaoning Flying Leopards put to a halt then league-leader Sichuan Blue Whales' 11-game winning run by pulling off a 111-94 upset victory at the Sichuan Provincial Stadium in Chengdu on Wednesday, January 13 as the 2015-2016 Chinese Basketball Association regular season continues.
The round 30 meeting was Liaoning's ninth consecutive win and 12th of 13 games overall to put them currently at third place in the CBA standings tied with the Zhejiang Guangsha Lions with a 23-7 win-loss slate.
Former Los Angeles Clipper Lester Hudson led the team with 36 points, 10 rebounds and five assists while the team's other American import, former undrafted NBA forward Shavlik Randolph, contributed 26 points, as per Asia-basket.
Leopards' shooting guard Guo Ailun recorded 19 points, five assists and four steals while power forward Li Xiaoxu fired 14 points to support their foreign teammates.
The Blue Whales were led by their trio of foreigners, Hamed Haddadi, Mike Harris, and Justin Dentmon, who combined for 63 points, as their local players Wang Ruheng and Meng Da contributed 11 and 10 points respectively, as reported by Xinhuanet.
Sichuan kicked off the match on an 8-0 attack before finishing the opening period up by 11 points, 25-14.
Liaoning fought back in the second quarter, though, unleashing a 33-22 run to reach halftime tied at 47-47.
It was all Flying Leopards in the second half as they outscored the former league leaders 64-47 the rest of the way.
With the loss, the Blue Whales dropped to second place in the overall league table with a 24-6 record, just a point behind current top dog Xinjiang Flying Tigers who is donning a 25-5 slate.
