Hudson's 41 points steer Liaoning to tie 1-1 in CBA finals series

Lester Hudson's 41 points propelled Liaoning to a 108-94 home win over defending champions Beijing in Game 2 of Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) finals here on Thursday, tying the best-of-seven series at 1-1.

Hudson grabbed 13 rebounds and dished out five assists. He Tianjun and Guo Ailun contributed 18 and 15 points respectively. Deon Thompson had 12 points and 16 boards.

Liaoning lost finals opener 103-84 here on Tuesday. Liaoning's head coach Guo Shiqiang emphasized his team's adjustments after opener's loss.

"We made full preparation for this game after losing first match, and we had some changes. These guys shrugged off burden and kept patience," Guo said.

"They did well on execution of game plan," he added.

After leading by 72-70, Beijing players committed several turnovers early in last 12 minutes on Stephon Marbury's walking violation and Zhang Songtao's offensive foul.

Liu Zhixuan came off the bench to have his first three-pointer, and Liaoning made a 11-0 run to rally strong comeback, capped by Li Xiaoxu's free throw.

Liaoning outscored their opponents 38-22 in last period. Hudson scored 17, and Guo Ailun contributed all his points in this quarter to his team's win.

"An intense game. We met some problems in our offense as the last quarter began, which affected our defense," said Beijing head coach Min Lulei.

He Tianju heated up quicker with eight points in a row, while the vistiors responded with Ji Zhe's three-pointer and Zhang Songtao's dunk. Hudson's three-point play earned Liaoning a 26-19 lead to close the first quarter.

Liaoning built a double-digit margin on Hudson's three-pointer early in the second period. He Tianju continued his hot momentum to finish a three-pointer and a three-point play, before he ingited the home crowd with his passionate snarl. Liaoning led by 54-48 into halftime.

Sun Yue, who finished game-high 27 points in Game 1, along with Stephon Marbury and Randolph Morris combined for all 24 points in the third quarter to help Beijing build up a two-point lead.

Morris had team-high 27 points and 10 rebounds. Marbury and Sun Yue combined for 41 points.

The next three games will be played in Beijing's home court, Mastercard Center, with Game 3 taking place on Sunday.