Referee Steals the Show! Free Throws 26-13! Liao Ning Wins by 6 Points Over Guangdong with Fu Hao Scoring 19 Points in the Final Quarter
Zhao Jiwei, Zhang Zhenlin, and Hu Mingxuan were absent from the CBA's 24th round focus match. The 100th battle in Liaoning and Guangdong's team history was ignited, with the 5th-ranked Liaoning hosting the 9th-ranked Guangdong. Guangdong started with Xu Jie, Huang Rongqi, Zhang Haofei, Jeren Walter, and Morland, while Yang Ming stuck to his old routine with Wang Lanqin, Fredette, Wells, and the Yin-Yang Old Men.
In the first quarter, Li Xiaoxu took the lead with a three-pointer, Morland scored 3 points in the basket, and also helped Xu Jie set up screens to help Xu Zhongfeng hit two consecutive three-pointers. Guangdong successfully executed their opening three-piece set, committing four fouls against Liaoning within four minutes and taking an 11-6 lead. At a critical moment, Wells began to exert himself, first forcing his way into the basket for a 2+1, then teaming up with Wang Lanqin to score another 4 points, leveling the score at 13-13 halfway through the quarter.
During the quarter, Han Dejun was benched with two fouls, forcing Yang Ming to bring on Fu Hao. During this period, Guangdong's offense stalled, allowing Liaoning to go on a 9-2 run to take the lead. Du Feng urgently made substitutions, bringing on Bazley. With 2 minutes and 10 seconds left, Yang Ming suddenly complained to the referee and received a technical foul. At the end of the first quarter, Liaoning tied the score 24-24 with Wells scoring 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, which was very crucial.
In the second quarter, Yang Ming brought on Li Huoyi and Han Dejun, while Du Feng brought back Xu Jie, Jeren Walter, and Wang Shaojie. The scores alternated, with Wells dominating over King Jiren Bazley and completely controlling his defensive counterpart Zhang Wenyi. Liaoning's offensive tactics were clear, with Wells leading the attack, Han Dejun feigning low-post attacks, and Fu Hao responsible for mid-to-long-range shots and open-court sneak attacks. On the Guangdong side, Jeren Walter had average shooting during this period, and Xu Jie was entangled in a struggle with Li Huoyi, unable to organize effective offense. Guangdong gradually fell behind as Liaoning went on a 12-6 run to take a six-point lead halfway through the quarter.
At a critical moment, Xu Jie hit a follow-up three-pointer, but Guangdong's interior defense led by Bazley and Morland was penetrated by Han Dejun and Wells' connection. Wells played 18 minutes and already had 21 points. Fortunately, Huang Rongqi used personal breakthroughs to deliver two assists during this period, with Morland and Du Runwang scoring five points. Yang Ming called an urgent timeout and brought back Wang Lanqin to strengthen the offense.
At halftime, Yang Ming mainly used a seven-man main rotation (Du Feng used nine), with both Wells and Fredette playing full two quarters. Under Wells' leadership, who scored 21 points on 8-of-17 shooting and added two assists, Liaoning took a 47-43 lead. Liaoning had four more offensive rebounds than Guangdong (8 vs. 4) but five fewer assists. They were able to take the lead because, on one hand, Wells' individual one-on-one ability was too unsolvable, with Zhang Wenyi and Zhang Haofei unable to defend him. On the other hand, Han Dejun's 6 points and 8 rebounds were crucial. Additionally, Bazley and Jeren Walter dragged their feet offensively, combining for only 6 points on 3-of-11 shooting.
In the third quarter, both teams increased their defensive intensity. Han Dejun and Wells scored four points at the start, and Guangdong went scoreless for three minutes, allowing Liaoning to go on a 6-0 run and extend the lead to 53-43! Du Feng urgently called a timeout and replaced Zhang Haofei with Zhang Wenyi.
After this substitution, Jeren Walter was activated, scoring four points in two strong attacks under the basket, and Huang Rongqi also hit a three-pointer in transition. Guangdong went on a 7-0 run, forcing Liaoning to call a timeout again.
Yang Ming did not make any adjustments to the lineup and continued to rely on Fredette. Fredette created two fouls against Huang Rongqi in one possession, almost causing Huang Rongqi to explode. At 6 minutes and 41 seconds, Jeren Walter was caught by the referee for a three-point foul, and Li Xiaoxu made only one of three free throws, slightly dragging the team down. However, Li Xiaoxu later made a difficult fadeaway shot after receiving a pass.
Jeren Walter, who was mediocre in the first half, erupted for 11 points in the third quarter, but it was not enough with only King Jiren scoring. During this period, Fredette finally found his shooting touch and hit a shot. In the latter half of the third quarter, the trailing Guangdong team frantically sped up their transition offense, and Liaoning's rhythm was also picked up. Yang Ming brought on Fu Hao early, and Du Feng replaced Jeren Walter with the black hole of ball rights, Bazley, with 2 minutes and 51 seconds left in the quarter (at this point, Guangdong was trailing by four points). At the end of the third quarter, Liaoning led Guangdong 67-62 (Wells scored only two points in this quarter).
In the final quarter, Du Feng boldly let Bazley start and carry the load alone, while Yang Ming let Wells rest and recharge first. Wang Lanqin and Fu Hao hit two consecutive layups, and Bazley responded with a putback. Liaoning went on a 6-2 run in two minutes, extending the lead to nine points, and Du Feng immediately brought back King Jiren.
In the next two possessions, Xu Jie hit a surprise three-pointer, and Jeren Walter single-handedly scored against Li Xiaoxu for another 2+1. Guangdong scored six points in a row, and Yang Ming also brought Wells back early. Wang Lanqin performed outstandingly at the start of the fourth quarter, scoring nine points in less than four minutes! He displayed an explosive scoring power different from Jiwei and Wells.
On the Guangdong side, Jeren Walter was not to be outdone, also unleashing firepower and continuously scoring seven points by challenging Li Xiaoxu one-on-one. Huang Rongqi continued to play the role of Guangdong's trump card, breaking through and countering to reduce the gap to just two points. At a critical moment, Li Huoyi hit an open three-pointer, and Wells broke through for another two points, helping Liaoning re-expand their lead to 85-78 (during Xu Xin's time on the court, Guangdong could only guard in a zone defense, allowing Li Huoyi to seize the opportunity).
In the last five minutes of the fourth quarter, Guangdong, trailing by seven points, had no room for retreat. Du Feng brought on Wang Shaojie and Zhang Wenyi, focusing on a three-guard lineup to catch up in scoring, apparently also giving up on defending against Wells. Wells and Zhang Wenyi exchanged three-pointers, and Liaoning failed to further expand the lead. In the following game, fouls continued on the court. At 3 minutes and 6 seconds, Yang Hongfeng exerted himself and decisively called a foul on Li Xiaoxu's screen after warnings proved ineffective.
At 2 minutes and 43 seconds, Yang Hongfeng keenly spotted Wang Shaojie pushing during a rebound and called a foul. Five seconds later, Yang Hongfeng called another foul on Zhang Haofei for hitting the hand. At 2 minutes and 17 seconds, Li Xiaoxu was called for his fifth personal foul during a rebound battle by the assistant referee.
Li Huoyi became Liaoning's trump card in the fourth quarter, hitting a key three-pointer and then holding up under pressure to make a difficult putback. However, in the next possession, Li Xiaoxu also heroically fouled out with six fouls.
The referees played a crucial role at a critical moment, which was somewhat unfavorable for Liaoning. However, Liaoning always had someone to step up in critical moments. Unexpectedly, after Li Xiaoxu was taken out, Fu Hao became the key to determining the outcome of the game. In the next possession, Han Dejun passed to Fu Hao, who hit a corner three-pointer, and then Han Dejun grabbed the decisive defensive rebound, basically sealing the victory.
In the end, Liaoning successfully defeated Guangdong 95-89 at home. In this game, Liaoning and Guangdong were evenly matched in terms of three-pointers, rebounds, and assists, except that Liaoning had 13 fewer free throw attempts than Guangdong (Liaoning 26-13 Guangdong). However, although Guangdong had more free throw attempts, their shooting percentage was average, making only 18 of 26, while Liaoning made 10 of 13. Guangdong also lost on this point, failing to capitalize on the benefits handed to them by the