Sichuan Blue Whales handed Zhejiang Guangsha Lions their first defeat of their quarterfinal campaign in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league with a 41-point margin, blowout 139-98 victory to lead the series 1-0 on Monday night.

Sichuan, which finished with a 30-8 record and tied with Xinjiang Flying Tigers for the second and third spot in the regular season of the league, controlled the entire game increasing their lead in every quarter and pounding the Lions with long distance shots.

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The Blue Whales ended the first half with a 17-point lead advantage 71-54 as they headed to the locker room. They started the third quarter by storming Guangsha with their better offensive attacks, outscoring the Lions with a 36-19 point production to establish a 34-point gap 107-73 ending the third period of the game.

The Blue Whales had a better night as they shot 62.8 percent from the field. Sichuan connected 21 shots from the three-point marker on a high 61.8 percent shooting accuracy. The winning team also moved and passed the ball well, registering a team-combined 22 assists.

American reinforcement Mike Harris, the 2010 NBA D-League MVP, paced Sichuan with a game-high 41 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while the University of Washington product Justin Dentmon added 30 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists.

Chinese forward Meng Da finished the night with 26 points, while the Iranian veteran center Hamed Haddadi contributed 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists.

The 25-year-old University of Detroit product Elijah Holman led the Lions with 29 points with 9 rebounds and 1 assists, while the former NBA player Jeremy Pargo chipped in 16 points and 5 assists.

Guangsha's Chinese forward Hu Jinqui scored 14 points and grabbed 7 rebounds, while Zhao Yanhao netted 10 points and posted 5 rebounds.

The two teams will be facing each other again on February 17 for game No. 2 of the quarterfinals.

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