Over 3,500 screaming fans packed the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium Saturday afternoon to witness the Yulon Dinos' 88-87 triumph over the Dacin Tigers, kicking off the 2005-2006 Super Basketball League season in thrilling fashion.
Chang Chih-fong's put-back attempt with the clock expiring just bounced off the rim as the Tigers fell short by a point in a rematch of last season's championship series.
Yulon center Tseng Wen-ding was literally unstoppable inside the paint as he racked up a game-high 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
Tseng also drained a three-point shoot.
Relying heavily on their well known three-point attack (13-for-37 shooting from behind the three-point arc), the Tigers kept the game close.
The game had a sloppy start, with neither team able to run its normal half-court offense.
But the Dinos would quickly regroup by the closing minutes of the first quarter to take a 22-17 lead by the end of the quarter.
Rookie point guard Su Yi-jeh, filling in for an injured Wang Chih-chuin, managed to gain control of the offense for the Tigers in the second quarter to help reduce the deficit to three by the end of the first half (39-36).
The Dinos were able to stretch their lead to as much as 10 points in the third quarter behind the sharp shooting of guard Chou Shih-yuan.
But the double-digit Dinos lead did nothing but motivate the Tigers, who answered with a tough second effort to finish off the quarter strong.
Five different players scored 10 or more points for the Tigers, compared to the four for the Dinos.
Bank of Taiwan 76, Antelopes 69
Poor play by the ETTV Antelopes' guards led to an embarrassing showing against the Bank of Taiwan, as the Antelopes dropped their season opener on Saturday night.
Antelopes guard Yang Yu-ming committed a career-high nine turnovers and was 2-for-11 from the floor, while veteran point guard Chou Jung-san managed to only contribute a pair of assists in a weak performance.
Bank of Taiwan's forward Lin Chuin-fong had 17 points to led an attack that was not particularly impressive.
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