The CBA half-season favorite was dominated by Jilin for most of the game. (Photo : Reuters)
Despite rallying in the fourth quarter, CBA powerhouse Liaoning lost to Jilin 120-117 on Sunday, handing them their second loss in the last three games.
The Northeast Tigers earned their seventh consecutive win, with Dominique Jones racking in 57 points, 15 rebounds, and nine assists; Denzel Bowles putting 20 points and six rebounds; and Li An finishing with 13 points.
Liaoning center Han Dejun made the first basket for the Flying Leopards, but nine straight points from Jones gave Jilin the lead with 9-4. Liaoning recovered in a 7-2 run and eventually tied the score at the end of the first quarter at 27-27.
Jones kept the up momentum in the second quarter. Liaoning's shooters struggled with the rim, causing them to lag behind Jilin 63-51 at half time.
Jilin started the third quarter 7-0 to widen the gap by as much as 19 points, but by the final quarter the Flying Leopards bounced back. Lester Hudson got a three-pointer with 90 seconds left to even the scoreboard at 113-113, but Jilin's shots at the free throw lines closed the game with a three-point advantage.
Hudson earned 41 points and 14 rebounds for Liaoning, while Dejun and forward Yang Ming got 19 and 18 points, respectively.
Despite their loss, Liaoning remains at second place at the Chinese Basketball Association standings, although they are two games behind the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who are currently on a 24-game winning streak with a recent win against Shanghai at 127-102.
Will Bynum and Yi Jianlian each gave 31 points for Guangdong, while CBA all-time top scorer Zhu Fangyu had 25.
In other games on Sunday, Foshan bested Sichuan at 120-13, and Zhejiang won against Jiangsu at 124-114. Dongguan beat Bayi at 84-77, Chonqing tamed Fujian at 107-102, Tianjin smashed Shandong at 150-119, Xinjiang defeated Beijing at 105-104, Tongxi got past Guangsha at 109-101, and Shanxi overran Qingdao at 124-114.
