Defending champion Liaoning remained undefeated at the 15th Chinese National Games men's basketball tournament, edging Beijing 93-90 on Thursday for its third straight victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.

Elsewhere, Guangdong found its rhythm in the second half to complete a 96-73 comeback win over Jiangsu and also qualify for the next round.

The Liaoning-Beijing game was close from the start. After Beijing opened with a 7-0 run, Liaoning responded with a 9-2 run of its own. Zhai Xiaochuan hit a key 3-pointer to give Beijing a 20-19 lead after the first quarter.

The seesaw battle continued in the second quarter. Although Beijing built a five-point lead at one stage, Yuan Shuai scored eight points in two minutes to give Liaoning a 47-42 halftime advantage.

Liaoning led 63-58 midway through the third quarter, but Beijing captain Fang Shuo, who was 4-for-5 from 3-point range in the first three quarters, helped his team cut the deficit to one point heading into the final period.

Beijing had a chance to tie the game with seven seconds left, trailing 91-89, when Liao Sanning was fouled by Zhao Jiwei. However, Liao missed the ensuing free throw.

After Beijing resorted to foul tactics, Liaoning's Han Dejun made two key free throws.

"The tight game will help both teams improve," said Liaoning head coach Yang Ming. "This is a strategic victory. Many of our veterans, such as Han Dejun and Li Xiaoxu, cherish the time they fight side by side. I want to praise them."

Guangdong trailed Jiangsu by seven points at halftime. The host team took control with an 18-0 run midway through the third quarter. Jiangsu rallied to close the gap to 62-55, but Guangdong stretched its lead to double digits by the start of the fourth quarter and never looked back.

Xu Jie scored a game-high 29 points for Guangdong, while Wang Ruize added 27 points and 11 rebounds. Jiang Haoran led Jiangsu with 23 points.

"At halftime, our head coach Du Feng told us not to have any concerns; he believed that we could beat Jiangsu," Guangdong player Jiao Boqiao told Xinhua.

In other games, Zhejiang advanced to the knockout stage with an 85-81 win over Shandong, Sichuan secured its spot in the elimination round with a 117-84 win over Hong Kong, Henan defeated Hubei 104-84 and Jilin kept its quarterfinal hopes alive with a 102-84 win over Macao.