WCBA Round 25 (Regular Season): Guangdong beat Shandong by one after a very close game

Here is the last round review presented by LBM Management.

Third-ranked Sports Lottery (11-12) was very close to win a game against second ranked Vermilion Birds (16-7) in Dongguan on Sunday. Vermilion Birds managed to secure only one-point victory 75-74. However their fans expected easier game. Guangdong forced 26 Shandong turnovers. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Aliyah Collier (183-1997, college: Clemson) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 18 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. The former international point guard Yang Liwei (175-1995) contributed with 20 points, 7 assists and 4 steals for the winners. Australian forward Alanna Smith (193-1996, college: Stanford) answered with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 12 rebounds for Shandong. Vermilion Birds have a solid series of three victories in a row. Guangdong maintains second place with 16-7 record having just two points less than leader Wuhan. Shandong lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the third position with 12 games lost. Guangdong are looking forward to face league's leader Sichuan in Chengdu in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Shandong will play at home against the league's leader Shanxi and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Important game to mention about took place in Yiwu. Second ranked Golden Bulls (13-10) saved a 1-point victory at home edging 4th placed Jiangsu (10-12) 87-86 on Sunday evening. Nigerian-American guard Ezinne Kalu (173-1992, college: SSU) stepped up and scored 35 points (!!!), 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals for the winners and Dong Keer chipped in 23 points and 5 assists. At the losing side international forward Luo Xinyu (187-2001) responded with 34 points (!!!) and 5 assists. Zhejiang maintains second place with 13-10 record having five points less than leader Wuhan. Jiangsu at the other side keeps the fourth position with 12 games lost. Zhejiang will play against Xinjiang (#5) in Urumqi in the next round. Jiangsu will play at home against Shanghai and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
A very close game took place in Xiamen between Xiamen and Hefei. Eighth ranked Xiamen (6-16) got a very close home victory over 5th ranked Hefei (12-9). Xiamen managed to escape with a 3-point win 72-69 on Sunday evening. Imani McGee-Stafford nailed a double-double by scoring 28 points and 17 rebounds for the winning side. Taiyanna Jackson came up with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds for Hefei in the defeat. Xiamen moved-up to seventh place. Newly promoted Hefei keeps the fifth position with nine games lost. Xiamen will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Hefei will play against Ganzhou (#8) and hope to secure a win.

Other games in round 25 were not that significant. Ganzhou was smashed by Heilongjiang on the road 94-64. Winless Tianjin was destroyed by Henan on its own court 65-102. Liaoning unfortunately lost to Wuhan in a road game 75-82. Fujian was rolled over Shanxi at home 64-90. Hebei was defeated by Inner M. on the opponent's court 77-72. Shanghai lost to defending champion Sichuan in a home game 73-79. Beijing lost to Xinjiang on the road 87-91.
The most impressive performance of 25th round was 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists by Cheyenne Parker-Tyus of Beijing.

The Round Review is presented by LBM Management. A full-service agency focused on Women's basketball sphere and working worldwide. A global and ethical quality service.

Guangdong - Shandong 75-74

Third-ranked Sports Lottery (11-12) was very close to win a game against second ranked Vermilion Birds (16-7) in Dongguan on Sunday. Vermilion Birds managed to secure only one-point victory 75-74. However their fans expected easier game. Guangdong forced 26 Shandong turnovers. Worth to mention a great performance of American guard Aliyah Collier (183-1997, college: Clemson) who helped to win the game recording a double-double by scoring 18 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists and 5 steals. The former international point guard Yang Liwei (175-1995) contributed with 20 points, 7 assists and 4 steals for the winners. Australian forward Alanna Smith (193-1996, college: Stanford) answered with a double-double by scoring 23 points and 12 rebounds and forward Wei Cao (182-1995) added 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the effort for Shandong. Vermilion Birds have a solid series of three victories in a row. Guangdong maintains second place with 16-7 record having just two points less than leader Wuhan. Shandong lost fourth consecutive game. They keep the third position with 12 games lost. Guangdong are looking forward to face league's leader Sichuan in Chengdu in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Shandong will play at home against the league's leader Shanxi and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Guangdong: L.Yang 20+4reb+7ast, C.Aliyah 18+12reb+7ast, L.Wenxia 10+3reb, D.Dilichati 9+2reb+3ast, S.Huang 9+4reb+2ast, J.Zhong 5
Shandong: S.Alanna 23+12reb+1ast, C.Wei 16+7reb+4ast, H.Yang 16+7reb, D.Marquesha 8+2reb+1ast, Z.Zhou 4+3reb+1ast, W.Yingzhu 3+2reb

Heilongjiang - Ganzhou 94-64

No shocking result in a game when second ranked Dragons (17-6) crushed 7th ranked Ganzhou (6-17) in Daqing 94-64 on Sunday. Heilongjiang dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Ganzhou's 18. They outrebounded Ganzhou 45-24 including a 33-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Heilongjiang looked well-organized offensively handing out 23 assists comparing to just 10 passes made by Ganzhou's players. American forward Myisha Hines-Allen (185-1996, college: Louisville) nailed a double-double by scoring 19 points, 14 rebounds and 6 assists for the winning side and her fellow American import power forward Kennedy Brown (190-2000, college: Duke) accounted for 15 points and 8 rebounds. Four Dragons players scored in double figures. Forward Lu Yaqi (182-2005) came up with 17 points and guard Yang Kejing (175-1999) added 9 points and 5 rebounds respectively for Ganzhou in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Dragons have a solid series of four victories in a row. Heilongjiang maintains second place with 17-6 record behind leader Wuhan. Ganzhou lost fifth consecutive game. Newly promoted team dropped to the eighth position with 17 games lost. Heilongjiang will meet league's leader Wuhan on the road in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Ganzhou will play against Hefei (#5) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Heilongjiang: H.Myisha 19+14reb+6ast, B.Kennedy 15+8reb+2ast, Y.Zhou 14+4reb+1ast, R.Sun 11+5reb+3ast, R.Bi 8+2reb, X.Yang 7+2reb
Ganzhou: Y.Lu 17+3reb, K.Yang 9+5reb+3ast, Y.Xu 7+1reb+2ast, C.Sidney 6+3reb+1ast, Y.Tian 6+1ast, Z.Wang 5

Tianjin - Henan 65-102

Very expected game when bottom-ranked Ronggang (0-23) was smashed by third ranked Henan Phoenix (14-7) in Tianjin 102-65 on Sunday. Henan dominated down low during the game scoring 64 of its points in the paint compared to Ronggang's 32. Henan outrebounded Tianjin 46-32 including 34 on the defensive glass. Henan looked well-organized offensively handing out 22 assists. American guard Kamaria McDaniel (178-1999, college: Michigan St.) nailed 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists for the winning side and forward Chen Yao (187-1997) accounted for 13 points and 12 rebounds. Four Henan Phoenix players scored in double figures. Forward Zhang Gege (185-2003) came up with 9 points and 9 rebounds and forward Cui Yuxuan (174-2003) added 16 points respectively for Tianjin in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Henan Phoenix have a solid series of four victories in a row. They maintain third place with 14-7 record having six points less than leader Wuhan, which they share with Shaanxi. Loser Ronggang still closes the standings with 23 games lost. Henan will meet Liaoning (#6) in the next round. Tianjin will play against Shaanxi in Weinan and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Henan: M.Kamaria 17+6reb+5ast, B.Kelsey 13+6reb+4ast, Y.Chen 13+12reb, C.Emma 12+6reb+2ast, S.Sun 10+2reb+3ast, C.Wei-An 9+4reb+3ast
Tianjin: Y.Cui 16+1reb+1ast, Y.Zhu 12+4reb, F.Zhao 10+2reb+2ast, G.Zhang 9+9reb+3ast, Y.He 8+2reb, T.Zhang 6+6reb+1ast

Wuhan - Liaoning 82-75

Very predictable result when first ranked hengfan (19-4) won against 6th ranked Liaoning Hengye (12-11) in Wuhan 82-75 on Sunday. American point guard Chennedy Carter (175-1998, college: Texas A&M) nailed a double-double by scoring 40 points (!!!), 12 rebounds and 6 assists for the winning side and her fellow American import power forward Peyton Williams (193-1998, college: Kansas St.) accounted for 14 points. hengfan's coach used an eleven-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American forward Breanna Richardson (185-1995, college: MSU) came up with 16 points and 9 rebounds and forward Wu Shuang (180-1994) added 23 points respectively for Liaoning in the defeat. Five Liaoning players scored in double figures. hengfan have an impressive series of six victories in a row. Wuhan maintains first place with 19-4 record. Loser Liaoning Hengye keeps the sixth position with 11 games lost. Wuhan will meet at home league's second-placed Heilongjiang in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Liaoning will play against Henan (#3) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Wuhan: C.Chennedy 40+12reb+6ast, W.Peyton 14+4reb+1ast, Y.Ding 9+2reb+1ast, H.Pan 5+1reb+2ast, J.Fu 5+9reb+4ast, S.Yu 4+2reb
Liaoning: S.Wu 23+2reb+1ast, R.Breanna 16+9reb+2ast, P.Ana 12+10reb, W.Wang 10+4reb+3ast, W.Ye 10+3reb+3ast, Z.Li 2+4reb

Xiamen - Hefei 72-69

A very close game took place in Xiamen between Xiamen and Hefei. Eighth ranked Xiamen (6-16) got a very close home victory over 5th ranked Hefei (12-9). Xiamen managed to escape with a 3-point win 72-69 on Sunday evening. American center Imani McGee-Stafford (201-1994, college: Texas) nailed a double-double by scoring 28 points and 17 rebounds for the winning side and center Li Tong (192-1995) accounted for 9 points and 9 rebounds. American center Taiyanna Jackson (198-2000, college: Kansas) came up with a double-double by scoring 16 points and 13 rebounds and Taiwanese forward Wei-Lin Wang (180-1993) added 11 points and 9 rebounds respectively for Hefei in the defeat. Four Hefei players scored in double figures. Xiamen moved-up to seventh place. Newly promoted Hefei keeps the fifth position with nine games lost. Xiamen will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Hefei will play against Ganzhou (#8) and hope to secure a win.
Top scorers:
Xiamen: M.Imani 28+17reb+1ast, M.Sianni 11+1reb+2ast, Y.Huang 10+2reb+1ast, T.Li 9+9reb+1ast, Y.Wong 9+3reb+6ast, Y.Li 3+1reb+3ast
Hefei: J.Taiyanna 16+13reb, W.Kiana 15+1reb+2ast, W.Wei-Lin 11+9reb+3ast, Z.Xiong 10+2reb, L.Xi-Ye 10+1reb+1ast, J.Xing 7+5reb+3ast

Zhejiang - Jiangsu 87-86

Important game to mention about took place in Yiwu. Second ranked Golden Bulls (13-10) saved a 1-point victory at home edging 4th placed Jiangsu (10-12) 87-86 on Sunday evening. Strangely Jiangsu outrebounded Zhejiang 31-19 including 24 on the defensive glass. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 30 assists. Nigerian-American guard Ezinne Kalu (173-1992, college: SSU) stepped up and scored 35 points (!!!), 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals for the winners and guard Dong Keer (170-1999) chipped in 23 points and 5 assists. Four Golden Bulls players scored in double figures. At the losing side international forward Luo Xinyu (187-2001) responded with 34 points (!!!) and 5 assists and center Xu Chenyan (200-1999) scored 31 points and 8 rebounds. Zhejiang maintains second place with 13-10 record having five points less than leader Wuhan. Jiangsu at the other side keeps the fourth position with 12 games lost. Zhejiang will play against Xinjiang (#5) in Urumqi in the next round. Jiangsu will play at home against Shanghai and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Zhejiang: K.Ezinne 35+9reb+6ast, K.Dong 23+1reb+5ast, J.Wang 15+3reb+8ast, M.Zhang 11+4reb+3ast, J.Yu 3+2reb+6ast, W.Shan 0
Jiangsu: X.Luo 34+4reb+5ast, C.Xu 31+8reb+2ast, X.Hu 8+5reb+3ast, X.Chen 5+5reb+8ast, X.Hong 4+7reb+8ast, M.Wu 4+1reb

Fujian - Shanxi 64-90

Not a big story in a game when 6th ranked Fujian Nanan (1-21) was outscored by first ranked Flame (18-5) in Putian 90-64 on Monday. Shanxi outrebounded Fujian 50-37 including 39 on the defensive glass. American center Mercedes Russell (198-1995, college: Tennessee) nailed 18 points and 9 rebounds for the winning side and forward Ruoyun Zhai (182-1998) accounted for 19 points. Four Flame players scored in double figures. American center Tearra Banks (188-1995, college: Austin Peay) came up with 18 points and 7 rebounds and guard Min Fang (170-1998) added 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists respectively for Fujian in the defeat. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Flame have an impressive series of six victories in a row. Shanxi maintains first place with 18-5 record. Fujian lost third consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with 21 games lost. Shanxi will meet Shandong (#3) in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Fujian will play against Inner M. in Hohhot and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Shanxi: Z.Ruoyun 19+2reb, R.Mercedes 18+9reb, Y.Chen 12+7reb+2ast, M.Kelsey 12+3reb+4ast, K.Song 8+4reb+9ast, L.Wenwen 6+3reb
Fujian: B.Tearra 18+7reb+1ast, F.Min 15+5reb+5ast, Z.Jingru 14+4reb+2ast, T.Rumeng 7+3reb, W.Ze 4+2reb+5ast, C.Zhaolin 2+3reb

Inner M. - Hebei 77-72

Everything went according to plan when fourth ranked Mongolia (14-8) defeated 6th ranked Power (2-20) in Hohhot 77-72 on Monday. Inner M. forced 22 Hebei turnovers. Strangely Hebei outrebounded Inner M. 44-30 including a 36-19 advantage in defensive rebounds. The former international forward Lili Wang (183-1992) nailed 26 points (made all of her nine free throws !!!) for the winning side and Ning Song (180-1995) accounted for 13 points and 8 rebounds (perfect from the field making all six shots). Four Mongolia players scored in double figures. Taiwanese Peng Shiqing (174-1991) came up with a double-double by scoring 27 points and 18 rebounds and point guard Li Bingzhen (172-2000) added 8 points and 9 rebounds respectively for Hebei in the defeat. Mongolia have a solid series of three victories in a row. Inner M. moved-up to third place, which they share with Shanghai. Hebei lost eighth consecutive game. They keep the sixth position with 20 games lost. Inner M. will meet at home Fujian (#6) in the next round. Hebei will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Inner M.: W.Lili 26+4reb, S.Ning 13+8reb+1ast, M.Sun 10+4reb+2ast, Y.Li 10+4reb+1ast, Q.Zhang 9+3reb, Z.Ru 9+7reb+2ast
Hebei: S.Peng 27+18reb+2ast, M.Sun 9+4reb+3ast, B.Li 8+9reb+2ast, L.Destiny 8+6reb+3ast, Y.Zhang 7+3reb+2ast, Y.Hu 6+3reb

Shanghai - Sichuan 73-79

There was no surprise when 3rd placed Swordfish (14-8) lost to leader Yuanda (23-0) in Shanghai 73-79 on Monday. Sichuan looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. The former international forward Meng Li (185-1995) nailed 21 points and 7 assists for the winning side and the former international forward Song Gao (190-1992) accounted for 13 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Four Yuanda players scored in double figures. Yuanda's coach Milos Paden used a ten-player rotation which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. Puerto Rican-American Arella Guirantes (181-1997, college: Rutgers) came up with 25 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists and Brazilian center Kamilla Cardoso (201-2001, college: S.Carolina) added 15 points and 14 rebounds respectively for Shanghai in the defeat. Yuanda have an impressive series of twenty three victories in a row. Defending champion maintains first place with 23-0 record. Loser Swordfish keeps the third position with eight games lost. They share it with Inner M.. Sichuan will meet league's second-placed Guangdong in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Shanghai will play against Jiangsu in Nanjing and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Sichuan: L.Meng 21+2reb+7ast, C.Elizabeth 15+5reb+1ast, G.Song 13+11reb+6ast, W.Siyu 12+3reb+9ast, J.Saiqi 8+3reb+1ast, H.Xu 6+7reb+1ast
Shanghai: G.Arella 25+7reb+9ast, C.Kamilla 15+14reb+1ast, Y.Li 11, J.Huang 6+8reb+2ast, Y.Chen 4, N.Xu 4+2reb+1ast

Xinjiang - Beijing 91-87

There was a small surprise when fifth ranked Magic Deer (4-19) beat their close opponent Beijing Great Wall (9-13) in Urumqi 91-87 on Monday. Xinjiang forced 23 Beijing turnovers. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 27 assists. American forward Dariauna Lewis (185-2000, college: Syracuse) nailed a double-double by scoring 25 points and 11 rebounds for the winning side and the former international point guard Wu Tongtong (176-1994) accounted for 22 points and 11 assists. Five Magic Deer players scored in double figures. American forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (193-1992, college: MTSU) came up with a double-double by scoring 18 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists and American-Bulgarian center Khaalia Hillsman (196-1996, college: Texas A&M) added 23 points and 6 rebounds respectively for Beijing in the defeat. Beijing Great Wall's coach tried various players' combinations and tested in total eleven players in this game, but that didn't help. Xinjiang maintains fifth place with 4-19 record which they share with defeated Beijing. Beijing lost third consecutive game. They keep the fifth position with 13 games lost. Xinjiang will meet at home league's second-placed Zhejiang in the next round and it will be quite challenging to get another victory. Beijing will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Xinjiang: L.Dariauna 25+11reb+2ast, T.Wu 22+3reb+11ast, J.N'Dea 18+9reb+1ast, Y.Li 12+6reb+7ast, Y.Wu 10+6reb+5ast, M.Zhu 4+2reb
Beijing: H.Khaalia 23+6reb+2ast, T.Yu 18+4reb+2ast, P.Cheyenne 18+10reb+6ast, M.Zheng 8+4reb+2ast, M.Aari 8+2reb+4ast, J.Zhang 8+2reb+4ast