Zhou Qi helps Xinjiang defeat Shanxi in CBA

ZHUJI, China - Zhou Qi and Donatas Motiejunas dominated in the low post, helping the Xinjiang Flying Tigers ease past the Shanxi Loongs 112-101 in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Monday.

Zhou had 29 points and 13 rebounds while Motiejunas pitched in 25 points and 14 rebounds for Xinjiang.

After Yuan Shuai started the game with a 3-pointer for Shanxi, Motiejunas made consecutive baskets, hitting an 11-0 run as Xinjiang led the first quarter 22-15.

Ren Junwei and Ricardo Ledo stood out for Shanxi in the next period, cutting the margin to one at 50-51 ending the first half.

Motiejunas' hook shot stretched their lead to 10 in the third quarter before Eric Moreland made a floater to cut the deficit to five. Then Zhou knocked down a pair of shots outside the arc to build a 14-point advantage, which was out of Shanxi's reach for the time remaining.

Ledo led Shanxi with 24 points, with Yan Pengfei adding 18 points off the bench.

"We did good rebounding, given that our opponents are taller. But our defense lacked consistency. We need to work on that," said Shanxi head coach Pan Jiang.