Back-to-back games with triple-digit scoring propelled the Yulon Dinos to another perfect weekend of play (2-0) in Taiwan's Super Basketball League, extending their winning streak to a season high of 11 consecutive wins.
Having already earned the number one seed berth in the upcoming postseason, the defending champs took advantage of the opportunity in facing the last-placed Sina Lions (3-26) on Saturday by playing the second stringers for nearly half of their game at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium.
The Dinos managed to pull off an impressive 101-88 victory behind a couple of 14-point efforts by reserve point guard Chen Chih-chung and center Wei Yung-tai.
All but one of the 12 Dinos who saw action on the floor came away with points on the board, as the Dinos swept the season series 5-0 against the big cats.
Dinos 103, Taiwan Beer 96
Six first-quarter three-pointers by the Dinos helped build a 35-21 lead against the Taiwan Beer that the Dinos would never relinquish in the Sunday's 103-96 final.
Chen "Airman" Hsin-an's 6-for-11 shooting from behind the three-point line led the way for the Dinos' long-range attack that rang up a total of 15 "three's." His team-high 28 points for the night gave the league's most versatile player a whopping total of 80 points over the past two games in which he fully participated.
Swing man Ho Sho-cheng of Taiwan Beer led all scorers with 29 points for the game -- four better than center Ha Hsiao-yuan's career-best mark of 25 points.
The "Ho-Ha connection" will need to come alive to complement team icon Lin "the Beast" Chih-jeh in Taiwan Beer's two remaining regular season contests for the brew masters to secure the fourth and final playoff berth.
Antelopes 93, Hunters 76
The ETTV Antelopes kept their postseason chances intact with an awesome 93-76 thrashing of the Videoland Hunters on Saturday.
Although the Hunters did not start their regular lineup for the third straight game in the interest of resting some of their "go-to players," it was clear from the opening whistle that they had not come prepared to play.
Antelopes sharp shooter Yang Yu-ming continued his recent scoring surge with 36 points for the game, topping his previous career-high of 35.
The second-year guard hit seven of 11 from the three-point range and showed no signs of letting up, even toward the end of the game.
Rookie forward Lin Chung-ching's 20-point outing was the lone bright spot for the Hunters in a rather forgetful team performance.
Tigers 84, Bank of Taiwan 77
It took all 30 of Tien Lei's hard-earned points to muster the 84-77 triumph over the Bank of Taiwan for the Dacin Tigers on Sunday.
The Tigers made the classic mistake of underestimating their opponents since they figured the bankers had already been eliminated from playoff contention, and nearly paid the price as the bankers' dynamic duo -- point guard Wu Yung-ren and small forward Lin Chuin-fong -- poured in 20 points each.
"Our guys took this game too lightly, and that was a big mistake," Tiger's coach Liu Jia-fa said.
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