Sharks slump to another away defeat
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Shanghai Daily, December 12, 2011
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Zaid Abbas of Fujian lays up during a CBA game between Shanghai and Fujian on December 12, 2011. |
The Shanghai Sharks' disastrous Chinese Basketball Association form on the road continued after a close 93-95 loss to the Fujian Sturgeons.
Ryan Forehan-Kelly had another outstanding game for the Sharks but it still wasn't enough against a free-scoring home side that had five players scoring in double figures.
Having allowed Fujian to open a 10-point lead just five minutes into the game, Shanghai fought back brilliantly to earn a 21-20 lead going into the second half. Forehan-Kelly was at the forefront of his side's efforts early on and his experience and accuracy from the floor was looking like it would mask the continued absence of the Sharks' starting point guard, Liu Wei, through injury.
However, if the first quarter belonged to Shanghai, then the second was decisively Fujian's.
Roared on by a passionate crowd, the hosts began to move the scoreboard along at a furious pace and the Sharks had difficulty containing the overseas duo of Zaid Abbas and Will McDonald. By halftime, a flurry of 3-pointers, including a buzzer beater from Zhao Tailong, had given Fujian a 52-45 lead.
The Sturgeons were the stronger side after the interval as well and the guile and raw physicality of Abbas, a former Sharks player, was a real problem for the beleaguered Shanghai defense.
Yet, the Sharks continued to keep the game close and were always a basket or two behind the home side. As the game entered the final quarter, the home crowd was on the edge of their seats as a gritty Sharks team refused to lie down.
Fell silent
When a massive 3 from the Sharks' Mike Harris with four minutes left cut Fujian's advantage to 89-87, the Zuchang Stadium in Jinjiang fell silent as it became clear that the game could go either way.
However, the Sharks, having closed the game down 93-95, thanks to Forehan-Kelly's coolly taken brace of free throws, failed to make a last-gasp shot from distance.
Forehan-Kelly scored 31 points whilst Harris added 15 in another losing effort.
In other CBA scores, the Beijing Ducks remain unbeaten at the top of the table after beating Jiangsu Dragons 109-98, thanks to Randolph Morris' 25 points and 15 rebounds. JR Smith poured 33 points in the Zhejiang Bulls 103-91 victory over Tianjin Gold Lions.
