The former Texas Tech standout came off the bench to shoot 28-of-34 from inside the paint, land three of 11 three-point attempts and sink all six of his free throws.
His record haul beat the previous best of 70 scored by Sun Jun for the Jilin Northeast Tigers in 2000, while the 129-113 win over the Jiangsu Dragons helped keep alive Shandong’s hopes of a CBA playoff spot.
Emmett, 27, was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics in 2004 and later played eight games for the Memphis Grizzlies before moving on to play in Lithuania, Belgium, France and then China.
The 71 points boosted his average to 32.4 points a game, putting him at the top of a CBA scoring list dominated by Americans.
The highest profile import, twice NBA All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury, had a less successful weekend, missing two late free throws as his Shanxi team lost 89-88 to army team Bayi.
The former New Jersey, Phoenix, New York Knicks and Boston player, nicknamed ‘Starbury’, moved to China in January but has failed to lift his team into playoff contention.
