The league leading team of the Shanghai Sharks suffered their first back-to-back losses after a heart-breaking 103-101 defeat in the hands of sixth-ranked ballclub of Shenzhen New Century Leopards in the 25th round of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) on Wednesday evening at the New Shenzhen Arena.

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Basing from the box score of EuroBasket, CBA's overall leading scorer Jimmer Fredette was trapped by a special defending plan of the host team, as the veteran American point guard was held to 30 points with a par 5-16 shooting from the field. He also committed three personal turnovers in 35 minutes of playing time.

Frenchman Guerschon Yabusele contributed with a double-double game production of 28 markers and 15 boards, while Chinese big man ZhaoXu Zhang was the only other player from the Sharks who had finished the game in double figures with 10 points.

Former NBA player Jeremy Pargo led the Leopards with game-high 31 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists, and two steals. The ex-Memphis Grizzlies point guard scores the winning basket after nailing in a jump shot with 0.1 second remaining in the game clock to break the deadlock and seal the win.

The victory was Shenzhen's 17th victory in 25 games played this season, while the loss was Shanghai's fourth. The Sharks remained on top of the team standing, but they are now tied with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, who own an identical 21-4 win-loss card and beat them in the previous round.

In NowGoal's game result, the Sharks put on an early 31-18 run during the opening period and secured a 13-point lead going in to the second quarter. However, the Leopards were able to regroup and staged a 31-24 charge in the second period to cut down the deficit to just six points, 55-49.

In the third period, Shenzhen continued to ride in the momentum of the game and cut down Shanghai's lead to just four, 84-80. The Sharks' point production was then limited in the final 12 minutes of the contest with the winning team's 23-17 fourth quarter run.

TagsJimmer Fredette, Shanghai Sharks, shenzhen new century leopards, chinese basketball association, Jeremy Pargo, guerschon yabusele