The Liaoning Flying Leopards, defending champion of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) League, failed to secure a place in the last eight of the CBA Club Cup on Sunday.
Liaoning lost to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers 89-69, finishing fourth in Group D after managing only one victory in four games.
Before the halftime break, Liaoning trailed Xinjiang by seven points. In the third quarter, Xinjiang built a solid defensive system and extended their lead to double digits.
In the final quarter, Elfurat Muhtar's three-pointer sparked an 11-3 run for Xinjiang, putting the game beyond Liaoning's reach. Xinjiang advanced to the next stage as the Group D winner after securing three consecutive victories.
Li Yanzhe of Xinjiang scored 21 points, while Yan Shouqi led Liaoning with 24 points, adding five assists and three steals.
In the other Group D game played on Sunday, the Beijing Ducks defeated the Nanjing Monkey Kings 91-75, qualifying as group runner-up. Eugene German of Beijing led all players with 27 points, while Stefan Moody and Lin Wei of Nanjing each scored 15 points.
In the final round of Group C games, the Shanghai Sharks overcame the Fujian Sturgeons 89-80, securing their spot in the last eight as group leaders with an unbeaten record. The Shanxi Loongs defeated the Shenzhen Leopards 95-69, qualifying for the next stage with a 3-1 record.
In Group A, despite the Tianjin Pioneers' 89-69 defeat to the Guangzhou Loong Lions, the team took second place in the group, securing their place among the final eight teams.
The Beijing Royal Fighters edged the Guangdong Southern Tigers 82-79 after an overtime, finishing as group leader with four consecutive wins.
Elsewhere, the Shandong Heroes overwhelmed the Jilin Northeast Tigers 108-79, advancing to the knockout stage alongside the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, who defeated the Sichuan Blue Whales 108-95.
Although the Zhejiang Lions had the same record as Shandong and the Zhejiang Golden Bulls, they ranked third in Group B due to having the smallest point differential among the three teams.
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