SHANGHAI, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Ray McCallum's final free throws helped Shanghai Sharks seal a 113-112 victory over Qingdao Eagles here on Wednesday in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) league.

The former NBA player's first show turned to be a success after Shanghai chose him to replace James Nunnally.

The game began as a closely-contested one, but Qingdao managed to make it into the next quarter ahead 27-26.

The margin was once stretched to eight points in the second quarter. Thanks to Zhang Chunjun's three-pointer in the last 30 seconds, the hosts finally ended the first half trailing 59-58.

In the second half, McCallum played a more active role. The turning point of the game came when Dakari Johnson was taken off. Luo Hanchen's assists and three-pointers helped Shanghai tied the score with five minutes left.

The last eight seconds became critical as Jiao Hailong scored a three-pointer, with Qingdao leading by a point over Shanghai. However, Zhao Tailong of Qingdao made a stupid mistake before the final whistle blew. McCallum seized the opportunity of free throws to lock the score at 113-112.

McCallum proved himself by contributing 30 points and 10 assists. Donatas Motiejunas pocketed 30 points and 26 rebounds.

"We made too many small mistakes. We lost 19 points in free throws, making the game more tense and dramatic. If we can enhance accuracy in free throws, we may have an easy win," said Shanghai head coach Li Qiuping.