🏀 What a game! The Beijing Ducks took flight and edged out the Qingdao Eagles with an 81-76 victory in their CBA Club Cup opener on Tuesday in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province.
Despite missing key players like Zeng Fanbo, head coach Xu Limin wasn't afraid to mix things up. He rotated 11 players, and guess what? Nine of them played over 10 minutes and rocked the scoreboard! Talk about teamwork! 🤜🤛
The Ducks' international trio—Eugene German, Richard Solomon, and Anunwa Omot—were totally on fire! 🔥 German's slick drives, Omot's epic three-pointers, and Solomon's powerhouse moves under the rim gave Beijing a 24-22 lead after the first quarter.
But the Eagles weren’t about to let the Ducks fly away with the game. Qingdao's own Jordan Mickey was a total beast, dropping tough shots like it was nothing. 🎯 By halftime, they were breathing down Beijing's neck at 43-42.
The third quarter was a rollercoaster! 🎢 Lyu Junhu nailed three triples for Qingdao, and suddenly, the Eagles soared to a 12-point lead, 66-54. Beijing was in a slump, and things looked dicey. 😬
But never count the Ducks out! 🦆 Zhai Xiaochuan and German dug deep, rallying the team. Heading into the final quarter, they were down by 10, but the comeback was just getting started.
In the fourth quarter, Beijing flipped the script with a 10-4 run! 🔄 Qingdao couldn't find the basket, scoring just eight points. Meanwhile, the Ducks were quacking up the scoreboard and outscored the Eagles by 15 points in the final stretch. 🏁
Even though Mickey dropped a game-high 28 points (major respect! 🙌), it wasn't enough to clip the Ducks' wings. Beijing clinched the win in a nail-biter finish!
Stay tuned, hoops fans! This CBA Club Cup is just heating up! 🔥🔥🔥
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
