Sharks come up short against Xinjiang Tigers
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E-mail Shanghai Daily, February 2, 2012
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Mengke Bateer of Xinjiang Flying Tigers tries to break through the defense of Shanghai Sharks' Tseng Wen-ting during their CBA game yesterday. |
The Shanghai Sharks were on the losing end of a bruising contest, going down 84-89 to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers. The side from Urumqi had only lost once all season in the Hongshan Arena and despite a fantastic team effort for almost the entire game, Shanghai watched victory slip away from it in the dying seconds.
With Liu Wei helping set the game's tempo and Marcus Landry making his shots, the Sharks were keeping the game close but as halftime beckoned, the Tigers were gradually pulling ahead thanks to the deft shooting of Xu Guochong and Xiralijan Muhtar. A last minute surge by the Tigers gave them a 46-39 lead and both sides hobbled back to their dressing rooms well aware that there was a lot more physical game to come after the break.
Indeed, the relentless rebounding, close marking and blocking continued when the two sides returned but gradually the defensive workload was starting to tire. The game was finally poised and despite the encouragements of a sizeable home crowd, the Tigers were struggling to dominate their guests, who were keeping the game tight thanks to a huge team effort of both sides of the court.
The Sharks' chances of victory were still alive deep into the fourth quarter as Liu's passing continued to open up space for his teammates and both coaches looked on nervously as it become clear that the game was going to go right to the wire.
With the Sharks leading 82-81, Mike Harris was fouled out with just over 80 seconds left. When Mengke Bateer converted his second free throw after the American's foul, Shanghai found itself going into the final minute of a tied game without one of its key players.
The game was to turn even more decisively soon afterwards when Muhtar found the room to drop a clutch three-pointer and give the Tigers a crucial lead before a coolly taken lay-up by Zhang Zhaoxu made the score 85-84.
In other CBA results, J.R. Smith scored an incredible 60 points as the Zhejiang Bulls edged the Qingdao Eagles 122-110. Elsewhere, the defending champions Guangdong Southern Tigers dispatched Liaoning Jaguars 122-108, and the Shanxi Dragons beat the Foshan Dralions 129-115.
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