JINING, East China, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Defending champion PLA beat Beijing 75-70 on Friday to seal a berth in the quarterfinals of the men's basketball tournament at the 11th Chinese National Games.

    Without former NBA player Wang Zhizhi, who was rested on the bench, the young players from the PLA led Beijing 29-14 in the first quarter and kept their cushion at half time. Beijing managed to narrow the gap to 75-70 during the second half but failed at last for the fourth straight loss.

    Group leaders Shandong collected its fourth consecutive victory after prevailing over Heilongjiang 79-55 to also ensure the quarterfinals berth.

    Liaoning also grabbed the quarterfinal ticket by overwhelming Jilin 109-76.

    In group B, Jiangsu defeated Xinjiang 96-77 while CBA title holder Guangdong eased past Shanghai 115-89. Hubei defeated Tianjin82-73.