Overcoming a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter, the Dacin Tigers escaped with a 79-78 win over the Taiwan Mobile Leopards at National Yilan University Gymnasium on Sunday.
The Leopards had several chances to put the game away, at times holding a lead of a dozen points against the defending champions on the strength of a superior three-point attack that netted 13 from behind the three-point arc.
The relentless Tigers, however, simply would not go away, answering each of the Leopards’ scoring blitzes with a counterattack that turned the match into a seesaw affair in the closing minutes. That was until Byron Allen hit a game-turning layup with less than 10 seconds remaining, the Tigers jumping ahead for good.
Allen ended with a dozen points among a trio of Dacin players to reach double figures.
As for the Leopards, poor luck was the only explanation skipper Cheng Chih-long could offer as his troops came up short by one point on consecutive nights in what Cheng called a pair of very “winnable games.”
LUXGENS 86, PURE YOUTH 81
Experience made the difference as the Yulon Luxgens outmaneuvered Pure Youth Construction 86-81 in Yilan on Sunday to deal the young Builders their second defeat in the three-game weekend.
Lu Cheng-rue saved his best for last by scoring 11 of his game-high 24 points in the final quarter to account for nearly half of the Luxgens 26 points in the quarter. Chou Shih-yuan also chipped in with 18 — mostly from long range — to breathe new life into the once-slumping Luxgens.
With top scorer Jonathan Sanders out serving a one-game suspension, the Builders showed some signs of discomfort, but nearly pulled off the win anyway, with James Mao assuming the leading role in Sanders’ absence. Mao finished the game with a team-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.
TAIWAN BEER 84, KINMEN LIQUOR 73
Holding Kinmen Liquor to six points in the opening quarter, streaky Taiwan Beer opened the game with a 20-6 run to beat the Distillers 84-73 on Sunday night and end their visit to Yilan on a high note.
Derek Stribling had his usual 20-plus points, scoring 25 on the night, while fellow forward Yang Jing-min netted 20 to lift the Brew Crew past the Distillers.
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