QINGDAO, China, July 14 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai Sharks pulled out a late comeback in a 33-20 fourth quarter, winning a back-and-forth 88-78 game against Sichuan Blue Whales here on Tuesday in the 2019-20 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The game also extended Sichuan's losing streak to seven.
Both sides had already fallen out of the playoff hunt, and the clash between the 16th-ranked Shanghai and the 17th-placed Sichuan was more about ending their respective losing streaks, with Shanghai two games and Sichuan six before taking on each other.
Shanghai started the game 11-2 and led 20-13 into the second quarter, but the advantage was soon erased as Sichuan fought back for a 24-17 second quarter and tied the game 37-37 into the interval. Zuo Zhennian and Hou Tianyi from Sichuan put up double-digit scores in the first half, 16 from Zuo and 12 from Hou.
Shanghai's time didn't come until the latter phase of the fourth quarter, in which the Sharks once trailed over 10 points. With a 19-2 spree, Shanghai regained the lead and soon enlarged the gap to over 10 points, and Sichuan failed in making another charge.
"We knew it was going to be a hard game for us. We started well, but then we have some issues on their zone defense," said Manos Manouselis, head coach of Shanghai, speaking highly of Ju Mingxin's consecutive three-pointers which helped Shanghai change the flow in the last quarter.
Ray McCallum finished a double-double, leading in both points (29) and rebounds (11). He also delivered a team-high four assists. Ju added 16 points.
Shanghai will be playing against Bayi Rockets on Friday, and Sichuan will take on Jiangsu Dragons on Saturday. Enditem
