Guangdong, Zhejiang win men's basketball semifinals at National Games

The co-hosts of China's 15th National Games, Guangdong, eased past two-time defending champion Liaoning 92-73 in men's basketball in Dongguan on Tuesday, advancing to the final.

Guangdong enjoyed a strong start, with Wang Ruize's layup netting an early four-point lead. The domination continued as Zhao Rui's three-pointer extended the advantage to nine. Zhao then turned provider, finding He Xining for a layup to push the cushion to 11.

Liaoning's situation worsened when Zhao Jiwei landed awkwardly and suffered a thigh injury, forcing the star point guard to leave the contest in the opening quarter.

The reigning titleholders managed to trim the margin after halftime, with Wu Changze's three-pointer cutting the deficit to a deuce.

Guangdong continued to attack, however, and with one minute left in the period, Xu Jie found He for a corner triple, stretching the margin to eight. Du Runwang followed up with a three of his own, helping seal Guangdong's place in the final.

In the other semifinal, Zhejiang edged out Sichuan 80-77, despite captain Hu Jinqiu keeping his team in front early. After halftime, Zhou Qi gave Sichuan a four-point lead.

Zhejiang fought back, with Yu Jiahao finding Wang Yibo for a three-pointer, reducing the deficit to one.

Zhejiang then surged into a six-point advantage, never looking back. Wang finished with a team-high 18 points to set the pace in a tight win, and Zhejiang will meet Guangdong in the final.