TONGCHUAN, China, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- One big win was enough to send winless Hubei into the semifinals of the men's U22 basketball competition of China's National Games.
Hubei, 0-2 before Thursday's last group match, saw off hosts Shaanxi 93-73 to finish second in group A to advance into the top four of the tournament.
All the three teams - Hubei, Shaanxi and Beijing are 1-2 in the group after Liaoning grabbed its third consecutive win by beating Beijing 79-58. Hubei has a better point difference from the head-to-head records among the three teams.
Yang Linyi had 30 points and 11 rebounds and Gu Quan added 29 points and nine rebounds in the do-or-die game for Hubei, which pocketed the last semi berth as Liaoning, Zhejiang and Guangdong already booked tickets in advance.
In group B, Guangdong edged off Zhejiang 82-78 to top the group and set up a semifinal encounter with Shaanxi. Liaoning will face Zhejiang in the other semifinal match.
The other four teams will battle for the 5th-8th placings in the playoffs. Enditem
