GUIYANG, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) -- Five players scored double-digit points as Sichuan Blue Whale beat Nanjing Monkey Kings 117-98 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Tuesday.
Sichuan's center Tyler Hansbrough had 43 points and 12 rebounds, Chen Chen contributed 19 points and Courtney Fortson added 19 points.
In the first quarter, the two sides traded punches, but Nanjing asserted themselves and kept the lead until the end as their center Hamed Haddadi took charge of the paint and helped his team finish the quarter 23-18.
Sichuan became more active in offence in the second quarter and gradually turned the tide as Haddadi tired and began to stray away from the paint. Nanjing mainly relied on its guard Joseph Young charging into the paint to score and helped his team narrow the gap to 5 points.
Haddadi received his fifth foul in the third quarter and Had to watch the rest of the game from the bench. Sichuan took the advantage and widened the gap to 19 points in the end. Young scored a game-high 49 points and Haddadi tallied 16 points for Nanjing.
"We made so many mistakes in the first three quarters and we didn't play well in offence," Nanjing's coach Cui Wanjun said after the game.
"Our team showed their positive spirit in this game and I hope they could keep it and win more games in the next round," said Sichuan's coach Zhou Jinli.
