Last-placed Bank of Taiwan pulled off the impossible by downing the top-ranked Dacin Tigers in a 93-87 shocker at the Hsinchu Municipal Gymnasium on Saturday night to pick up their second victory of the season.
Chang Bo-sheng scored 12 of his 14 points on the night in the fourth quarter to lead a Bankers fight back that outscored the defending champs 37-24 for the win.
“We really played like we had nothing to lose, that’s why we were able to beat them tonight,” Chang said after the game.
It was a bitter-sweet win for the Banker guard as he cheered the victory in agony after suffering a severely sprained ankle near the end of the game that will take some time to heal.
The Bankers greeted the Tigers with a surprising 24-18 lead in the opening quarter and maintained their advantage throughout the first half to enjoy a rare 41-36 lead at halftime.
Dacin rallied on the strength of six three-pointers in the third quarter to take a 63-56 lead, only to falter at the end as the Bankers pulled off a stunning upset.
Chen Hsuen-shiang continued his red-hot scoring spree with a game-high 23 points on the night, after netting 21 for his team on Friday to lead a group of five Bankers with double-digit scores.
As for the Tigers, who did not play with the prowess that had propelled them to a league-best 12-3 mark prior to the weekend, the loss meant consecutive setbacks for the first time this season.
LUXGENS 92, KINMEN LIQUOR 78
The Yulon Luxgens humbled Kinmen Liquor 92-78 on Saturday for their sixth straight win.
The victory not only gave the three-time champions sole possession of the second place in the standings, but also brought them to within a game of the league-leading Tigers.
Chen Chih-chung led all scorers with 26 points, while dishing out 10 assists in another double-double outing for the Luxgens.
Kinmen Liquor standout Shawn “the Hawk” Hawkins had a field day off the glass with 13 rebounds, but was well short of his 26-plus points per game scoring average, with only 16 in a losing effort.
PURE YOUTH 92, LEOPARDS 88
The Builders led by as many as 26 points in the second half, but had to desperately hold on at the end to edge past the Taiwan Mobile Leopards 92-88 on Saturday.
Taiwan Mobile set a season-high in single-quarter scoring with 39 points in the fourth. Yet it was still not enough to help them secure an improbable comeback, as the Builders regained their composure in the final minute to win it.
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