BEIJING, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Zhejiang Lions stayed on top after edging the Shenzhen Aviators 93-88, and the Shanghai Sharks continued their resurgence by routing the Tianjin Pioneers 129-94 in the 16th round of the 2024-25 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league regular season.

The Lions and the Aviators met on Tuesday. The Aviators had endured a tough start to the season, winning only three games out of 15 before facing the Lions, while the Lions had emerged as one of the favorites by wrapping up 13 victories in 15 rounds.

The Aviators showed their desire to win the game by leading 54-51 in the first half, only to see the Lions come back in the final quarter to seal the victory with Barry Brown's consecutive points in the final minutes. Big man Hu Jinqiu had 22 points and 10 rebounds for the Lions, while shooter Zhao Jiaren made six three-pointers to add 20. For Shenzhen, guard He Xining took home 20 points.

"It was a tough game for us due to the absence of our leader Sun Minghui," rued Zhejiang head coach Wang Bo.

"Other players had to step up and help Hu, and I'm happy that Zhao Jiaren did a great job."

The Shanghai Sharks had started the season with a 1-10 record, but managed to bounce back thanks to a good performance from Kenneth Lofton. The 22-year-old center bagged 35 points, helping the Sharks take an overwhelming victory over the Pioneers.

With the win, the Sharks climbed up to 18th place in the 20-team league.

The Xinjiang Flying Tigers eased past defending champions the Liaoning Flying Leopards 125-105 on home court. Xinjiang improved to 12-3, sitting fourth in the standings.

Elsewhere, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls crushed the Qingdao Eagles 123-99, the Shandong Heroes saw off the Beijing Royal Fighters 103-93, the Jiangsu Dragons took down the Sichuan Blue Whales 125-115, the Jilin Northeast Tigers hammered the Fujian Sturgeons 116-105, the Guangzhou Loong Lions breezed past the Ningbo Rockets 106-89, the Guangdong Southern Tigers smashed the Beijing Ducks 106-90, and the Shanxi Loongs tamed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 108-96. Enditem

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