The Beijing Ducks got an 80-71 win over the Fujian Sturgeons in the sixth round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league on Thursday, in what was Simone Pianigiani's debut as head coach for the Ducks.

Beijing's Zhai Xiaochuan grabbed a team-high 15 points plus 12 rebounds and two assists, while Fujian's Huang Yichao scored 16 points and had three rebounds.

Fujian established a 47-33 lead by the end of the first half, and while Beijing tried hard to catch up, it was only able to narrow the gap slightly, entering the final period behind at 67-56.

However, Beijing's unyielding spirit saw it turn the tide as Zhai's jump shot with Justin Hamilton's assist tied it 67-67. The team didn't give their opponents a chance to retake the lead and eventually sealed the victory 80-71 over Fujian.

Pianigiani noted there were ups and downs during the game, with his team making nine mistakes in the first quarter alone, but then only four in the rest of the game.

"We got more and more assists as the game went on and this was what we wanted to see. We didn't panic and got the victory."

Elsewhere, reigning champion the Guangdong Southern Tigers claimed a convincing 119-105 victory over the Shanghai Sharks, while the Shanxi Loongs defeated the Zhejiang Lions 113-103.

Marshon Brooks of Guangdong was unstoppable, notching a game-high 37 points in only 24 points, while his teammate Sonny Weems contributed 17 points, six rebounds and seven assists to the win.

Zong Zan and Jimmer Fredette both scored 22 points for Shanghai, but they could not hold off the fierce attack from Guangdong, especially in the last quarter where their opponents prevailed 30-17 with consecutive three-pointers.

Brooks led Guangdong to batter Shanghai with tough jump shots, ending the first quarter 32-20. But Shanghai found its rhythm and was on fire in the next two periods, cutting the deficit to only one point into the last quarter.

(With input from Xinhua News Agency)