Overcoming a six-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, Bank of Taiwan rallied from behind to top the defending champs from Taiwan Beer 90-80 at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to kickoff the new Lunar Year with a bang.
Chen Hsuen-shiang’s three-point play the old fashioned way with six minutes remaining in the contest capped an 11-3 run that gave the Bankers a 71-69 lead as they went on to defeat the Brew Crew to pick up win No. 2 for the year.
“Everybody thought we didn’t have a chance against [Taiwan Beer], so I told our guys to just come in and prove them all wrong,” Chen said after the game.
Photo: Courtesy of the SBL
His game-high 29 points, 10 of which came during the decisive fourth, did just that as the last-placed Bankers improved to 2-7 for the season with their captain in seemingly top form following a knee injury he suffered in their season-opener in December that sidelined him for more than six weeks.
Also starring for the Bankers were Hsu Chih-chiang and John Vaudreuil, whose 44 combined points gave the Bankers’ frontcourt trio a whopping 73 points.
“We knew [Taiwan Beer] were a little thin in terms of personnel with Lin Chih-jeh and Wu Dai-hao gone, so we wanted to let our big guys do all the work,” Bank of Taiwan skipper Lai Liang-chung said after the game.
His troops fully exploited the Taiwan Beer interior defense, which managed to hang with the Bankers for three quarters even with Lin “The Beast” and Wu now playing in China’s CBA, but finally collapsed in the fourth and ultimately cost them the game.
Poor free-throw shooting on the part of the Brew Crew also kept them from turning the tide against the Bankers as they shot a dismal 13 for 20 from the charity stripe, which made it tough to win.
Even though four different players scored in double digits for Taiwan Beer, led by Amis warrior Yang Jing-min’s team-high 23, the Bankers’ 30-14 scoring run in the fourth proved insurmountable in the end.
In yesterday’s late game, it was:
‧ Tigers 82, Leopards 79
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Forget Real Madrid, Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain, the world’s best soccer team — statistically speaking — might be a little-known outfit from the closed central Asian nation of Turkmenistan. Founded last year, Arkadag, named in honor of former Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow, have been unstoppable, notching up 36 consecutive domestic victories in a run still ongoing. The side have not lost a single competitive match and swept to a league and cup double in their inaugural season — success unthinkable almost anywhere else. However, in Turkmenistan, it could hardly have gone any other way. The energy-rich country is one of the most closed
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
Taiwan’s Lee Jhe-huei and Yang Po-hsuan on Saturday won the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Badminton Asia Championships in Ningbo, China, after they were bested by the hosts in their semi-final. The Taiwanese shuttlers lost to China’s Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, who advanced to yesterday’s final against Malaysia’s Goh Sze Fei and Nur Izzudin. The Chinese pair outplayed Lee and Yang in straight games. Although the Taiwanese got off to a slow start in the first game, they eventually tied it 14-14, before Liang and Wang went on to blow past them to win 21-17. In the second game, Lee and