Leap into row two lands Hsu Hao-cheng an award

Winning well over half of the 25 votes cast by members of the press, Bank of Taiwan field-general Hsu Hao-cheng (許皓程) beat out Yulon Dinos' all-star forward Chen Hsin-an (陳信安) and Sina Lions' point man Chou Jung-san (周俊三) to claim the weekly "Mister Hustle" honor.

Hsu defied popular beliefs on needing impressive statistics to win the weekly award by edging Chen and Chou. His efforts to save a pass that landed him in the second row during Saturday's loss against the BCC Mars convinced those who appreciate all-out effort.

Sina Lions versus Dacin Tigers

Looking ahead to this weekend's contests, the matchup between the red-hot Sina Lions and the Dacin Tigers tomorrow afternoon will kickoff two days of heated competition as teams fight for the right to play in the upcoming playoffs.

A loss by the Tigers would send them back to fifth in the Super Basketball League (SBL) standings, while a defeat would snap the Lions' record-setting 12-game winning streak.

While the key to success for both teams would be to get the ball to their "go-to" guys (Tien Lei [田壘] for the Tigers and Luo Hsin-liang [羅興樑] and Chou Jung-san for the Lions), the team that can control the tempo of the game best is expected to come out on top.

Bank of Taiwan versus

Taiwan Beer

Game 2 will feature Bank of Taiwan and Taiwan Beer in a battle between the SBL's two last-placed teams.

Taiwan Beer's Lin "the Monster" Chih-jeh (林志傑) has averaged over 25 points per game in the past three contests.

Dinos versus Elephants

Sunday afternoon's matinee contest should be a delight to watch because the house will be packed with Dinos fans to cheer on their team against the Jeoutai Elephants, which handed the Dinos their first loss of the season.

The Elephants have won three consecutive games and the team's scoring leader, Yang Yu-ming (楊玉明), is expecting to be double-teamed for most of the game.

The Dinos find themselves in a rare position as the underdogs in this game because they will hit the floor without the services of Chen Hsin-an who is on military leave for 12 days.

Mars versus Lions

The BCC Mars will host the Lions in Game 2 on Sunday. As the league's highest scoring offense, the Mars will face the league's stingiest defense.

Yen Hsin-shu (顏行書) of the Mars will have his hands full as he tries to guard Luo Hsin-liang and Chou Jung-san of the Lions.

The Mars need to win to keep their half-game lead over the Tigers in league standings.

Lion veteran Huang Chuen-hsiung (黃春雄) should have a big day inside the paint as the Mars lack the muscle in the middle to handle the 200cm giant. Huang is averaging 13.5 points, 9.2 rebounds and nearly 2 blocked shots per contest.