Shanxi Loongs' Kay Felder (right) passes the ball during the 4th round match between Shanxi Loongs and Jilin Northeast Tigers at the 2022-2023 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Oct 18, 2022. (CHEN ZHENHAI . XINHUA)

HANGZHOU - With Yuan Shuai's two crucial free throws, the Shanxi Loongs nosed out defending champions the Liaoning Flying Leopards 110-107 in overtime, while the Ningbo Rockets suffered five straight losses after being defeated by the Beijing Royal Fighters 91-73 in the fifth round of the 2022-2023 Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Thursday.

Shanxi started off strong to lead the first quarter 31-22 thanks to Xing Zhiqiang's 3-pointer and Zhang Ning's layups. Liaoning made a comeback after a 16-2 run to cut the deficit to five points, wrapping up the first half 52-47

Shanxi started off strong to lead the first quarter 31-22 thanks to Xing Zhiqiang's 3-pointer and Zhang Ning's layups. Liaoning made a comeback after a 16-2 run to cut the deficit to five points, wrapping up the first half 52-47.

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After the interval, Zhou Juncheng's layup helped the defending champions to overtake Shanxi 53-52. The two teams then went back and forth before Cong Mingchen's 3-pointer earned Liaoning a 79-71 advantage after three quarters.

With five minutes and 46 seconds left, Kay Felder's shot behind the arc helped Shanxi to tie the game at 88-88, but back-to-back turnovers led the game into overtime. Shanxi broke the deadlock with Zhang Ning's two free throws in overtime and kept the advantage until the end of the game.

In another game, with five players scoring double digits, the Zhejiang Golden Bulls embraced the fifth consecutive win to become the last-stand all-winning team in the league.

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After a seesaw battle in the first half, Zhejiang took a 49-40 lead. In the third quarter, Zhu Xuhang's two 3-pointers helped the Xinjiang Flying Tigers to cut the deficit to 53-51, but Zhejiang soon expanded the advantage with aggressive attacks to win 107-93.

Earlier on Thursday, the Beijing Royal Fighters turned the game into an early blowout as they led from the start with a 14-2 run and built a 50-34 advantage to finish halftime. Robert Golden's 3-pointer in the last minutes announced no twists for the game, and the Royal Fighters locked a 91-73 victory over The Ningbo Rockets.

Golden scored 22 points and dished 10 assists for the Royal Fighters, while Ma Yong added 15 points. On Ningbo's side, Brandon Taylor had a team-high 17 points. Suffering a five-game losing streak, Ningbo remains winless this season.

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Meanwhile, despite the absence of their star guard Jeremy Lin, the Guangzhou Loong Lions took a 19-point lead in the first quarter. Through 3-pointers and layups, the Fujian Sturgeons managed to cut the deficit to six points before the interval. Guangzhou showed no mercy in the second half and secured the victory 109-78, giving their rival's fourth consecutive loss.

In other action on Thursday, the Beijing Ducks eased past the Zhejiang Lions 100-76, the Nanjing Monkey Kings defeated the Shenzhen Aviators 111-107.