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A reserve forward earns starting spot plus hustle award

Hsu "the Fridge" Cheng-wen (許誠文) became the second reserve player to win the weekly "Mister Hustle" award with his monstrous game against the Sina Lions last Saturday in the SBL.

The quiet, yet hardworking forward edged out Bank of Taiwan muscleman Chu Yung-hung (朱永弘) and fellow teammate Chen Jien-chow (陳建州) to claim the coveted distinction.

Hsu's outstanding effort in his 15-point, six-rebound night paid an immediate dividend by earning him a spot on the starting lineup the very next game.

Lions versus Taiwan Beer

Looking ahead at tonight's matchup, the Lions will visit Taiwan Beer in an important game that could determine the Lions' fate down the stretch.

Trailing the league-leading Dinos by 2-1/2 games in league standings with five games left to play in the regular season, the Lions must rediscover their shooting touch quickly to draw out the defense that would otherwise guard the boards.

In addition to snapping their three-game losing streak, a Lions victory would cut the Dinos lead to 1-1/2 games, putting the Lions right back in the race for the regular season title.

This is an ideal game for a young and explosive club like Taiwan Beer, because with its post-season hopes practically gone, they can now play the spoiler.

Tigers versus Mars

The Dacin Tigers will take on the BCC Mars in Game 1 tomorrow in a showdown between two teams that are fighting for the third seed in post-season play.

The benefit of being the third seed is that it will not face the top seeded team in the first round.

A Mars victory in this game will up their lead over the Tigers in the standings to 1-1/2 games, while a Tiger win would boost them past the Mars for the third spot.

Both squads have demonstrated their ability to run up the score, but the team with fewer turnovers should come out ahead.

Dinos versus Bank of Taiwan

A rematch between the Dinos and Bank of Taiwan will follow in Game 2. All eyes will be on Dinos standout Chen Hsin-an (陳信安), as he makes his way back to his usual playing form after his military service leave.

Forwards Chiou Chi-yi (邱啟益) and Chou Shih-yuan (周士淵) for the Dinos will find themselves closely shadowed as the bankers try to stop them from going on a scoring spree. (The pair combined for 45 points in the Dinos' victory over Bank of Taiwan last week.)

Coach Chien Yi-fei (錢一飛) can also use this game to give his bench some playing time as they tune up for the playoffs.

Lions versus Elephants

The Lions will face the Jeoutai Elephants on Sunday in a must-win situation for the Elephants, as another loss will all but put them out of reach for the playoff hunt.

The Elephant guards will have to deny Lions three-point threat Luo Hsin-liang (羅興樑) the ball as much as possible for their team to have a chance.

The expected return of big man Wu Dai-hao (吳岱豪) from a knee injury should also provide the Elephants with a strong presence inside the paint.

Tigers versus Taiwan Beer

Finishing off the weekend will be the Tigers, trying to crash the beer party against the brew-masters on Sunday night.

Both teams will be playing their second game of the weekend, making the outcome of their first absolutely critical to that of this game.
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