Overcoming a seven-point deficit at halftime with a 60-point spurt in the second half, the Yulon Luxgens outmaneuvered Kinmen Liquor 102-98 at the Taipei County Gymnasium in Sinjhuang yesterday to close out their regular season with a win.
It was the best thing that could happen to the three-time champs as they prepare for their upcoming postseason series against a speedy Pure Youth Construction squad.
“This was a big win for us because we trailed for a good part of the game, before coming back to win it in the end,” Yulon skipper Chang Hsueh-lei said after the game.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
The second-half rally by his squad, highlighted by a 14-3 run late in the game, showed that their age should not be a problem against a young Pure Youth lineup.
Kinmen Liquor surprised the Luxgens by pouring in 30 points in the opening quarter to lead it 30-24, before taking a 49-42 lead at halftime.
The experienced Luxgens would come back, however, through the stellar play of Lu Cheng-rue and perimeter threat Chou Shih-yuan, who filled in ably for the injured Tseng Wen-ding, to force a 71-71 tie after three quarters.
With the game on the line, it was Chou who nailed a go-ahead three-pointer with less than three minutes to play to give his team the lead for good. Lu ended up with a game-high 25 points for the Luxgens, while Kinmen Liquor’s Chen Jing-huan netted 22.
In yesterday’s other game, Taiwan Mobile Leopards beat Bank of Taiwan 93-83.
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