Zhu Songwei of Sichuan Blue Whales competes in the game against Fujian Sturgeons at the 2020-2021 season of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league in Zhuji, east China's Zhejiang Province, Dec. 21, 2020. (Xinhua/Wu Zhuang)

The Fujian Sturgeons edged the Sichuan Blue Whales 121-113, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers cruised past the Tianjin Pioneers 105-91.

ZHUJI, China, Dec. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Fujian Sturgeons edged the Sichuan Blue Whales 121-113, while the Xinjiang Flying Tigers cruised past the Tianjin Pioneers 105-91 in the 21st round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) here on Monday.

The match between Fujian and Sichuan saw a battle between two top tier guards. Robert Golden notched a game-high 44 points, 13 assists, and six rebounds for Fujian, while Marcus Hunt scored 42 points, adding seven assists and seven rebounds for Sichuan.

Sichuan gained the upper hand 58-54 at the half-time break with three-pointers and cut-in layups from rookie Zhu Songwei who scored 15 points in a single quarter. The team tried to extend the advantage in the second half by attacking the rim, only to meet Fujian's strong defense and ended the third quarter all square at 87-87.

Fujian's center Wang Zhelin suffered a concussion in the last quarter but Golden stood out and hit consecutive jumpers and layups to nail down the victory.

In the other match, the more balanced Xinjiang saw five players scoring in double digits, and had a big advantage over Tianjin in rebounds and assists.

Xinjiang missed 11-of-12 free-throw attempts in the third quarter, giving Tianjin the chance to come from behind and tie the match 72-72 at the end of the quarter after Lin Tingqian bagged a three-pointer.

However, Donatas Motiejunas added to his excellent performances this season and led Xinjiang to dominate the paint in the last quarter. He scored 11 of Xinjiang's 19 points to start the last quarter and pocketed 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Marko Todorovic spearheaded Tianjin with 37 points and 18 rebounds, while Zhouqi contributed 23 points, 13 rebounds plus 7 assists for Xinjiang.

In the other three games played on Monday, the Guangdong Southern Tigers smashed the Nanjing Monkey Kings 114-92 with seven players scoring in double digits, the Beijing Royal Fighters had a narrow victory over the Jilin Northeast Tigers in overtime 112-108, and the Shanghai Sharks defeated the Zhejiang Lions 123-111. ■