Tigers draw first blood on Lions in Super Basketball

Luo Hsin-liang's (羅興樑) final three-point attempt that would have tied the game at 87-all with time running out fell just short of the rim, and the Dacin Tigers walked away with an 87-84 victory to go up one game to none in the best-of-three series against the Sina Lions on Friday night.

"We clearly outplayed them in every facet of the game," Dacin head coach Liu Jia-fa (劉嘉發) said after his first post-season triumph, "and I'm glad that we got this one, because they almost had us in the end."

The Tigers shot slightly better than the Lions from the field (51 percent versus 49 percent) and at the free-throw line (71percent versus 69 percent). They also committed fewer turnovers (12 versus 15) in the hard-fought battle.

All-Star power forward Tien Lei (田壘) did not have a big game for the Tigers as far as his point production (19), but his dominance on the glass with a team-high 11 rebounds probably contributed more towards the win than a few extra points.

Filling in for Tien in terms of point total was Tiger big man Lee Fong-yung (李豐永), whose deadly 5-for-7 shooting from beyond the three-point arc and a 25-point night earned him the game-MVP honor.

His 14 first-half points clearly made the Lions wonder if double-teaming Tien was the right decision.

With the crowd behind them, the Lions actually took a two point lead at the end of the first quarter before the Tigers shifted into another gear on offense in the second quarter to take a 42-39 half-time lead.

Their intention to push the ball up the court not only resulted in several easy fastbreak buckets, it also kept the game at a faster pace than the Lions felt comfortable, which ultimately cost the older Lion squad the game.

"We had our chances down the stretch," Luo said after the game. "I actually had plenty of time to line up for the last shot," referring to his final three-point attempt.

"The shot just didn't go down and that's part of the game."

The Lions would have had the edge in overtime if Luo's shot had gone in because they had the momentum in the game's final seconds.

Game 2 of the series will begin at 7pm tonight at the Taipei Sports Education College Arena as the Lions face possible elimination.

All eyes will be on how the Lion frontcourt deals with the Tigers scoring tandem of Tien and Lee, and how the Tigers defend Lions guard Chou Jung-san (周俊三).

The Lions must find a way to bring the ball inside. Even though the team has survived by scoring three-pointers in the past, the game will most likely be decided by how well they can muscle their way in close to the basket for high-percentage shots.