Two seemingly secure single-game records fell on the same day in the SBL yesterday as Shawn “the Hawk” Hawkins poured in 63 points for Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor to beat the previous mark of 52 points set by former Yulon great Chen Hsin-an and Rashad Jones Jennings took down 33 rebounds for Pure Youth Construction to beat the previous record of 27.
Even though neither player’s individual achievement resulted in a victory for their respective club, with Kinmen Kaoliang losing to the Yulon Luxgens in overtime 116-106 and the Builders dropping a 76-75 decision to Taiwan Beer at the Taipei Gymnasium, it was a great day for the sport and the fans nationwide.
While the record-breaking foreign stars were unable to help their teams win, Taiwan Beer’s hired gun Emmanuel Jones was undoubtedly the hero of the day as the American big man nailed a clutch three-pointer and stole the ensuing inbound pass by the Builders on an acrobatic move to set up fellow teammate Chen Shih-nien’s game-winning field-goal in an unbelievable come-from-behind victory for the top-ranked Brew Crew.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
“Every play and every second counts in this game,” Jones said after the game.
His outstanding individual play was the main the reason Taiwan Beer managed to turn back a Builders attack that featured the deadly three-point shooting of guard Hung Chih-shan, who converted seven of a dozen from behind the three-point arc to lead all scorers with 27 points.
The showdown between the top two teams in the league opened with the Brew Crew’s high-octane offense firing on all cylinders in a 29-point first quarter.
They added to their 29-19 first-quarter lead in the second quarter, with Doug Creighton draining 14 points. That made it 50-32 in favor of the men in the familiar green uniforms at halftime.
The Builders then surprised the league leaders in the third quarter by holding Taiwan Beer to only eight points, while downing 22 on the offensive end to fall within four.
They eventually erased the deficit and actually led by four with a minute remaining in the game, before Jones’ late-game magic stole the show in the end.
Luxgens 116, Kinmen 106 (OT)
Despite Shawn “the Hawk” Hawkins’ record-breaking 63-point effort, Kinmen Kaoliang Liquor fell victim to the Yulon Luxgens in overtime to end their weekend on a down note.
Contrary to the Distillers’ one-man show, the Luxgens used a balanced attack that placed six players in double-digit scoring, with Lin Guan-luen (22) and Lu Cheng-rue (21) both surpassing the 20-point plateau to garner the victory.
Trailing 95-96, Hawkins had the chance to win the game in the closing seconds of regulation time with a pair of free-throw attempts, but managed to hit only one to send the game into the extra session.
Leopards 79, Tigers 64
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