China's men's national basketball team forward Li Gen carried out an impressive game performance on his return to his hometown to lead his side to victory over the Team American United, winning their second straight friendly match against them on Friday.

Like Us on Facebook

The 27-year-old Jiaozuo-native contributed a team-high 21 points in the hosts' 83-80 triumph against the Americans. The listed 6-foot-5, 243 pounds forward also came out with two steals in front of his friends and relatives in the audience.

"Tonight is the first time my grandma sitting at the stands to watch my play. It's a brilliant experience. I feel so happy," said Li Gen, who is currently playing with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association. "I handed out hundreds of tickets to my friends and relatives in Jiaozuo."

The game kicked off with John Taylor's fade-away before the 2015 FIBA Asian champions retaliated with a huge in-your-face slam dunk from the 7-foot-2-inch center Li Muhao, who controlled the shaded area with two blocked shots in the opening period. The visiting team regrouped in the second quarter and stormed the national team by 15 points, establishing a 42-34 lead at halftime.

However, China reclaimed the lead after staging an 11-0 run in the opening period of the second half. Chinese basketball star guard Guo Ailun, who finished the game with 13 points, connected from beyond the arc to give them a 64-58 lead before entering the final quarter of the game.

In the last 24 seconds of the game, the Chinese made a back-to-back basket to reclaim the lead for good after trailing by a point 80-79. Li Muhao had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds while John Taylor scored a game-high 33 points for the visitors.

The third and final friendly, which is part of the national squad's preparations ahead of the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil this coming August, will be played on June 12 in Luoyang, which is located in China's Henan Province. 

Tagsli gen, Xinjiang Flying tigers, chinese basketball association, chinese men's national basketball team, Rio Olympics 2016, American United, Basketball, Basketball team China, Basketball China