The Liaoning Flying Leopards held off the Beijing Royal Fighters 113-89 in Beijing on Dec 10, 2023. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

BEIJING - The Zhejiang Lions defeated the defending champions Liaoning Flying Leopards 105-99 at home on Tuesday, winning all three encounters between them so far this season in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) League.

Zhejiang lost 35 of previous 59 head-to-heads but seemed to find the way to get over Liaoning this season.

The Lions triumphed 100-74 on Dec. 6, 2023 to end Liaoning's 11-game winning streak, before winning again on the road six days later.

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The Zhejiang Lions moved up to third on the CBA rankings, while the Liaoning Flying Leopards swallowed its third defeat in four games

On Tuesday, Zhejiang dashed out to a 29-20 lead as the first quarter expired, while Liaoning found its rhythm in the second to outscore 29-15.

The Lions delivered a 20-6 run in the fourth quarter to tighten their grip on the game. Despite Liaoning's efforts of getting back into contention, star guard Sun Minghui hit straight 3-pointers to help the Lions close out the game.

Sun bagged 26 points and nine assists. Hu Jinqiu had 18 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lions moved up to third on the CBA rankings, while Liaoning swallowed its third defeat in four games.

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Six Liaoning players scored double digits, with Zhang Zhenlin and Eric Moreland pocketing 19 points each.