After nearly squandering a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, Taiwan Beer came up with a strong finish in the final two minutes to down the Dacin Tigers in an 81-76 final at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City yesterday afternoon.
The win gave the Brew Crew a 2-1 mark in a tough three-game weekend and kept their season record above 0.500 at 9-7 — No. 4 in the standings — as they passed the halfway point in the 30-game season.
“It was a big win for us because we had just lost a tough game the night before and were desperately seeking something positive,” Taiwan Beer player Yen Chia-hua said after the game.
Photo: Courtesy of the SBL
Three three-pointers by Tso Tsong-kai in the opening frame got things moving in the right direction for Taiwan Beer as they took a 20-12 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Tso knocked down two more from downtown in a hard-fought second quarter that ended with a 10-point margin in favor of the Brew Crew, before the two clubs engaged in a high-scoring third that saw them put up 49 combined points with Taiwan Beer enjoying a 62-49 advantage.
Just when Taiwan Beer thought they had the game wrapped up, the Tigers managed to roll off a 25-13 run in the fourth, with Lin Guan-luen and Reggie Okosa taking charge to reduce the deficit to one point with under one minute to play.
That was as close as they got as Taiwan Beer converted on the free throws down the stretch despite missing a pair to keep the victory intact.
LUXGENS 71, BANK OF TAIWAN 80
Bank of Taiwan pulled off a colossal upset win over the Yulon Luxgens in shock result in the second game in Sinjhuang last night.
What would have been a relatively easy win for the Luxgens against the last-place Bankers turned into an offensive struggle from the get go as Yulon was held to eight points in the first quarter and trailed 36-20 at the half.
Even though a 25-point third brought the four-time champs to within five to start the fourth, the Bankers mustered just enough offense in the decisive fourth by hitting 14 of 24 free throws in the quarter to deny the Luxgens any chance of a comeback.
LEOPARDS 66, PURE YOUTH 71
The top-ranked Pure Youth Construction side rallied from a halftime deficit with a tenacious second half to upend the second-placed Taiwan Mobile Cloud Leopards in the weekend’s final match in Sinjhuang last night.
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