WCBA Round 14 (Regular Season): Jiangsu is upset by Shandong

Here is the last round review presented by LBM Management.

The most important game in the last round took place in Penglai between third ranked Jiangsu (9-5) and fifth ranked Sports Lottery (9-5) on Saturday night. Jiangsu was defeated by Sports Lottery in a tough game on the road 92-97. Shandong made 30-of-37 free shots (81.1 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. 24 personal fouls committed by Jiangsu helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was American forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (193-1992, college: MTSU) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds. The other American import guard Maya Caldwell (180-1998, college: Georgia) chipped in 19 points and 8 rebounds. American center Jillian Alleyne (190-1994, college: Oregon) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds for the guests. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Shandong moved-up to third place, which they share with Jiangsu and Xiamen. Shandong is looking forward to face league's leader Guangdong in Dongguan in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Jiangsu will play at home against Wuhan and is hoping to win this game.
An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Hefei. First ranked Hefei faced 3rd ranked Henan Phoenix. Host Hefei (11-2) defeated guests from Jiyuan (8-5) 99-92. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Henan Phoenix. American guard Jaime Nared (188-1995, college: Tennessee) orchestrated the victory by scoring 34 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 4 assists (was perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line !!!). Phillipina Kyei contributed with 30 points and 10 rebounds (on 12-of-15 shooting from the field) for the winners. Hefei's coach used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American point guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (175-1996, college: Maryland) replied with 30 points and 6 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) for Henan. Hefei have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 11-2 record. Henan at the other side dropped to the fourth place with five games lost. Hefei will play against Xiamen (#3) on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Henan will have a break next round.
Undefeated leader Vermilion Birds delivered the fourteenth consecutive victory on Friday night. This time they crushed 12th ranked Golden Bulls (2-12) 86-54 in Yiwu. Wenxia Li scored 18 points and 6 rebounds (perfect from the field making all nine shots !!!) to lead the charge for the winners. Yu Jiajin responded with 14 points and 6 rebounds. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Undefeated Vermilion Birds (14-0) have an impressive 14-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with a perfect record of 14 victories in a row. Zhejiang lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Fujian Z. and Shaanxi. Guangdong will meet Shandong (#4) in the next round. Zhejiang will play against Sichuan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.

Rest of the games of round 14 were quite predictable and ended without any surprises. Here they are:
Liaoning crushed Ganzhou in Anshan 97-71. Xinjiang was smashed by Shanxi at home 73-96. Wuhan won against Hebei on the opponent's court 70-60. Shaanxi unfortunately lost to Beijing in a home game 75-89. Fujian Z. was rolled over Xiamen on the road 71-116.
The best stats of 14th round was 21 points by Aisha Sheppard of Xiamen.

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.

Ganzhou - Liaoning 71-97

There was no surprise when bottom-ranked Ganzhou (0-13) was crushed at home by second ranked Liaoning Hengye (10-3) 97-71 on Thursday. Liaoning dominated down low during the game scoring 58 of its points in the paint compared to Ganzhou's 34 and made 27-of-35 free shots (77.1 percent) during the game, while Ganzhou only scored ten points from the stripe. They outrebounded Ganzhou 42-30 including a 35-17 advantage in defensive rebounds. Liaoning looked well-organized offensively handing out 25 assists. Center Fu Jinqiu (188-1996) scored 20 points and 9 rebounds (on 6-of-7 shooting from the field) to lead the charge for the winners and American point guard Tea Cooper (173-1997, college: Baylor) chipped in 17 points and 4 assists (was perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line) during the contest. Zhang Jingdan (183-1959) responded with 13 points and guard Yang Kejing (175-1962) scored 7 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Liaoning maintains second position with 10-3 record having five points less than leader Hefei. Loser Ganzhou still closes the standings with 13 games lost. Liaoning will have a break next round, and it should allow them to practice more before next game. Ganzhou will play against the league's second-placed Liaoning (#2) and hopes to get finally their first victory.
Top scorers:
Liaoning: F.Jinqiu 20+9reb+2ast, S.Wu 18+3reb, T.Cooper 17+4reb+4ast, H.Yiming 14+7reb+1ast, M.Zhu 10+6reb+1ast, L.Jiayu 4+4reb
Ganzhou: J.Zhang 13+3reb+2ast, F.Zhao 11+1reb+4ast, J.Cai 10+5reb+1ast, Y.Xu 10+3reb+1ast, K.Yang 7+5reb+4ast, X.Xu 6+7reb

Hefei - Henan 99-92

An exciting game between Top Four teams was played in Hefei. First ranked Hefei faced 3rd ranked Henan Phoenix. Host Hefei (11-2) defeated guests from Jiyuan (8-5) 99-92. It ended at the same time the two-game winning streak of Henan Phoenix. Hefei made 23-of-25 charity shots (92.0 percent) during the game. Their players were unselfish on offense dishing 21 assists. American guard Jaime Nared (188-1995, college: Tennessee) orchestrated the victory by scoring 34 points (!!!), 7 rebounds and 4 assists (was perfect 16-for-16 from the free throw line !!!). Canadian center Phillipina Kyei (203-2003, college: Oregon) contributed with a double-double by scoring 30 points and 10 rebounds (on 12-of-15 shooting from the field) for the winners. Hefei's coach used entire bench which allowed the starters a little rest for the next games. American point guard Shatori Walker-Kimbrough (175-1996, college: Maryland) replied with 30 points and 6 assists (on 11-of-14 shooting from the field) and her fellow American import center Imani McGee-Stafford (201-1994, college: Texas) added 8 points and 12 rebounds in the effort for Henan. Four Henan players scored in double figures. Hefei have an impressive eight-game winning streak. They maintain first position with 11-2 record. Henan at the other side dropped to the fourth place with five games lost. Hefei will play against Xiamen (#3) on the road in the next round, which may be the game of the day. Henan will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Hefei: J.Nared 34+7reb+4ast, P.Kyei 30+10reb, L.Yingyun 9+3ast, Y.Li 9+8reb, X.Zhongyi 6+4reb+5ast, D.Johnson 5+6reb+3ast
Henan: W.Shatori 30+3reb+6ast, S.Anete 14+4reb+1ast, R.Deng 12+3reb+2ast, W.Ha 10+2reb, M.Imani 8+12reb+2ast, W.Ma 7+1reb+1ast

Zhejiang - Guangdong 54-86

Undefeated leader Vermilion Birds delivered the fourteenth consecutive victory on Friday night. This time they crushed 12th ranked Golden Bulls (2-12) 86-54 in Yiwu. Guangdong dominated down low during the game scoring 62 of its points in the paint compared to Golden Bulls's 36. Guangdong looked well-organized offensively handing out 28 assists comparing to just 11 passes made by Zhejiang's players. Forward Wenxia Li (184-2004) scored 18 points and 6 rebounds (perfect from the field making all nine shots !!!) to lead the charge for the winners and center Guoguo Feng (191-2005) chipped in 15 points during the contest. Center Yu Jiajin (188-2000) responded with 14 points and 6 rebounds and guard Qi Zhou (172-2003) scored 10 points. The winner was already known earlier in the game, so both coaches allowed to play the bench players saving starting five for next games. Vermilion Birds (14-0) have an impressive 14-game winning streak. Defending champion maintains first position with a perfect record of 14 victories in a row. Zhejiang lost third consecutive game. They dropped to the fifth place with 12 games lost. They share the position with Fujian Z. and Shaanxi. Guangdong will meet Shandong (#4) in the next round. Zhejiang will play against Sichuan and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Guangdong: W.Li 18+6reb+2ast, G.Feng 15+3reb+1ast, M.Zhang 10+4reb, A.Collier 8+3reb+2ast, S.Reid 8+4reb+5ast, B.Like 7+2reb+2ast
Zhejiang: J.Yu 14+6reb+2ast, Z.Qi 10+3reb+3ast, Y.Zhang 7+4reb, Z.Yuqian 7+5reb, S.Fengyi 5+1reb+1ast, J.Chen 4+2reb+2ast

Xinjiang - Shanxi 73-96

No shocking result in a game in Urumqi where second ranked Flame (10-4) smashed 8th ranked Magic Deer (6-8) 96-73 on Friday. Shanxi made 16-of-21 free shots (76.2 percent) during the game. They also forced 20 Xinjiang turnovers. Shanxi looked well-organized offensively handing out 32 assists. Australian guard Marena Whittle (180-1994, college: NDSU, agency: LBM Management) had a double-double by scoring 21 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the charge for the winners and American center Kalani Brown (201-1997, college: Baylor, agency: LBM Management) chipped in 23 points (on 10-of-12 shooting from the field) during the contest. The former international point guard Wu Tongtong (176-1994) responded with 18 points and 9 assists and American-Hungarian forward Beatrice Mompremier (193-1996, college: Miami, FL) scored 8 points and 12 rebounds. Both teams had four players each who scored in double figures. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Flame have a solid three-game winning streak. Shanxi maintains second position with 10-4 record having four points less than leader Hefei. Loser Magic Deer keeps the eighth place with eight games lost. Shanxi will meet at home Shaanxi (#11) in the next round and are hoping to win another game. Xinjiang will play against Hebei and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Shanxi: K.Brown 23+4reb+1ast, M.Whittle 21+12reb+6ast, R.Zhai 15+4ast, Q.Egbo 13+3reb+2ast, Y.Lin 8+7reb+11ast, Z.Yi 7+3ast
Xinjiang: T.Wu 18+3reb+9ast, J.Morgan 14+3reb+3ast, W.Xuemeng 12+3reb, A.Jesula 11+3reb, M.Beatrice 8+12reb+3ast, X.Cai 4+1ast

Hebei - Wuhan 60-70

Rather expected game in Hengshui where 9th ranked Power (4-10) was defeated by seventh ranked hengfan (7-7) 70-60 on Friday. Wuhan made 23-of-29 free shots (79.3 percent) during the game. Wuhan had a 40-26 advantage in offensive rebounds. American center Olivia Nelson-Ododa (196-2000, college: UConn) had a double-double by scoring 20 points and 14 rebounds to lead the charge for the winners and the other American import power forward Peyton Williams (193-1998, college: Kansas St.) chipped in 12 points and 7 rebounds during the contest. Five hengfan players scored in double figures. Canadian guard Kayla Davis (170-1995, college: Towson) responded with 17 points and 6 rebounds and guard Li Zhijun (172-1995) scored 14 points. Both coaches tested many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Wuhan maintains seventh position with 7-7 record. Hebei lost third consecutive game. They keep the ninth place with ten games lost. They share the position with Beijing. Wuhan will meet higher ranked Jiangsu (#5) in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Hebei will play against Xinjiang (#8) in Urumqi and it may be a tough game between close rivals.
Top scorers:
Wuhan: O.Nelson-Ododa 20+14reb+1ast, E.Kalu 12+2reb+1ast, P.Williams 12+7reb+1ast, P.Huaqian 10+5reb+2ast, D.Yike 10+4reb+3ast, C.Ruotong 4
Hebei: D.Kayla 17+6reb+2ast, Z.Li 14+3reb+2ast, W.Sydney 11+5reb+1ast, P.Emily 6+6reb, S.Ning 6+3reb, W.Wang 4+4reb+2ast

Shaanxi - Beijing 75-89

The game between closely ranked teams ended with tenth ranked Beijing Great Wall's (4-10) road victory over 11th ranked Red Wolves (2-12) 89-75 on Saturday. Beijing made 19-of-21 free shots (90.5 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. American center Kai James (196-1995, college: FSU) had a double-double by scoring 37 points (!!!), 13 rebounds and 6 assists to lead the charge for the winners and Irish-Australian swingman Alice Kunek (185-1991) chipped in 26 points (was perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line !!!) during the contest. American power forward Sidney Cooks (193-1998, college: Seton Hall) responded with 32 points and 9 rebounds and forward Mengyun Zhou (185-1999) scored 16 points. Red Wolves' coach rotated eleven players and allowed the starting five to rest. Beijing moved-up to ninth place, which they share with Hebei. Loser Red Wolves dropped to the fifth position with 12 games lost. They share it with Fujian Z. and Zhejiang. Beijing will meet higher ranked Shanghai (#6) on the road in the next round and it may be quite challenging game. Shaanxi will play against the league's second-placed Shanxi and will have a slim chance for a victory.
Top scorers:
Beijing: K.James 37+13reb+6ast, A.Kunek 26+4reb+3ast, K.Feng 7+3reb+1ast, W.Yiting 6+2ast, J.Liu 5+1reb+2ast, P.Zhenqi 4+1reb+1ast
Shaanxi: C.Sidney 32+9reb+2ast, Z.Mengyun 16+2reb+2ast, A.Najing 9+5reb+2ast, F.Dyaisha 8+5reb+3ast, C.Sierra 6+2reb+1ast, F.Zhuoya 4+1reb+5ast

Shandong - Jiangsu 97-92

The most important game in the last round took place in Penglai between third ranked Jiangsu (9-5) and fifth ranked Sports Lottery (9-5) on Saturday night. Jiangsu was defeated by Sports Lottery in a tough game on the road 92-97. Shandong made 30-of-37 free shots (81.1 percent) during the game. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 24 assists. 24 personal fouls committed by Jiangsu helped opponents get some easy free throw opportunities. The best player for the winners was American forward Cheyenne Parker-Tyus (193-1992, college: MTSU) who had a double-double by scoring 25 points and 12 rebounds. The other American import guard Maya Caldwell (180-1998, college: Georgia) chipped in 19 points and 8 rebounds. American center Jillian Alleyne (190-1994, college: Oregon) produced a double-double by scoring 27 points and 13 rebounds and center Xu Chenyan (200-1999) added 23 points and 7 rebounds respectively for the guests. Five Shandong and four Jiangsu players scored in double figures. Both coaches used bench players in such tough game. Shandong moved-up to third place, which they share with Jiangsu and Xiamen. Shandong is looking forward to face league's leader Guangdong in Dongguan in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Jiangsu will play at home against Wuhan and is hoping to win this game.
Top scorers:
Shandong: C.Parker-Tyus 25+12reb+3ast, J.Cao 20+2reb+7ast, M.Caldwell 19+8reb+2ast, Z.Yazhuo 14+1reb+1ast, Y.Hengyu 14+9reb+3ast, J.Zhou 3+6ast
Jiangsu: A.Jillian 27+13reb+3ast, C.Xu 23+7reb+2ast, J.Jazmine 19+8reb+5ast, X.Hu 10+6reb+2ast, H.Zhenzhen 8+5reb+3ast, M.Wu 5

Xiamen - Fujian Z. 116-71

The game between closely ranked teams ended with 5th ranked Fujian Nanan's (2-12) road loss to fourth ranked Xiamen (9-5) 71-116 on Saturday. Xiamen dominated down low during the game scoring 60 of its points in the paint compared to Fujian Nanan's 34. Xiamen forced 24 Fujian Z. turnovers and outrebounded them 42-26 including 29 on the defensive glass. Xiamen shot the lights out from three sinking 14 long-distance shots on high 66.7 percentage. They looked well-organized offensively handing out 31 assists comparing to just 13 passes made by Fujian Z.'s players. American-Jordanian guard Aisha Sheppard (175-1998, college: Virginia Tech) scored 21 points to lead the charge for the winners and forward Xiao Wanyu (168-1979) chipped in 8 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals during the contest. Four Xiamen players scored in double figures. Nigerian center Blessing Ejiofor (196-1998, college: WVU) responded with 11 points and 6 rebounds and point guard Yang Rui (173-2005) scored 12 points. Since the result was very predictable, it gave the chance for the coaches to test many bench players and allowed the starting five to rest. Xiamen have a solid three-game winning streak. They moved-up to third place, which they share with Jiangsu and Shandong. Fujian Z. lost eighth consecutive game. They keep the fifth position with 12 games lost. They share it with Zhejiang and Shaanxi. Xiamen will meet at home league's leader Hefei in the next round and it will be for sure the game of the week. Fujian Z. will have a break next round.
Top scorers:
Xiamen: A.Sheppard 21+4reb+2ast, L.Tingyi 19+3reb+1ast, P.Shiqing 13+2reb+9ast, L.Yiping 11+3reb+4ast, Y.Cai 10+7reb+1ast, S.Cheslek 9+2reb+1ast
Fujian Z.: W.Huizi 13+1reb, R.Yang 12+2reb+3ast, E.Blessing 11+6reb+2ast, X.Lin 9+2ast, T.Rumeng 7+2reb+1ast, Z.Jingru 6+4reb