The Guangdong Southern Tigers escaped from a last quarter fright to upset the Zhejiang Lions 106-96 on Saturday, leading 2-0 in the best-of-five CBA quarterfinals.
Guangdong led 83-71 entering the fourth quarter, only to see Zhejiang cut the deficit to one point. With Zhou Qi standing out, Guangdong then stormed to a 10-2 run and sealed the victory.
Tremont Waters scored a game-high 28 points, Zhou Qi had 21 points and 17 rebounds for Guangdong. Sun Minghui scored 22 for Zhejiang.
Waters had 10 points in a single quarter to help Guangdong build an early 30-19 advantage. Zhejiang narrowed the gap in the second quarter but Guangdong still held a 56-53 advantage into halftime. After the break, Zhou Qi showed his dominance in the paint to gift Guangdong a 12-point lead after three quarters.
"I told the players not to be too relaxed and be prepared for difficulties before the game, and it was right enough tonight. We had led by more than ten points but we nearly lost the game in the last quarter. Next game will be tougher and the mentality is key," Guangdong coach Du Feng said after the game.
Elsewhere, the Liaoning Flying Leopards eased past the Shenzhen Aviators 132-93 to lead 2-0, also one step from CBA semis.
