Taiwan Beer made it two wins in a row by downing Kinmen Liquor 87-60 at the National Taiwan University of Sports Gymnasium last night to improve to 2-0 for the season.
Liu Chan accounted for 14 of the Brew Crew’s 32 second-quarter points, which turned a two-point first-quarter deficit into a 15-point lead at the half, a lead they did not relinquish with a dominant second to run away with a blowout victory.
Although he settled for 22 points, one behind Patrick O’Bryant’s team-best 23, Liu’s second-quarter scoring spree was undoubtedly the key to Taiwan Beer’s win.
“The shots were just falling for me, I can’t really explain why,” Liu said afterward.
He has emerged as one of the top swing men in the SBL, brandishing an assortment of offensive weapons that complement his tremendous defensive instinct and puts his rivals on alert every time he takes to the court.
Other than Liu’s outstanding effort, O’Bryant also had a career night, following Saturday’s 19-point outburst with 23 yesterday to raise his scoring average to 21 over two games.
Newcomer Bryan Davis opened the contest by scoring 13 of Kinmen Liquor’s first 17 points and went on to finish with a game-high 32 points. Yet the Distillers put on a one-man show the entire game, something they will need to improve on if they want to remain competitive in the league.
PURE YOUTH 89, TIGERS 78
Pure Youth Construction also kept their unbeaten 2-0 record, beating the Dacin Tigers in the night game in Taichung last night, thanks to a late-game explosion by Doug Creighton.
The forward nailed two clutch three-pointers in the closing minutes of the contest to keep a tenacious Dacin rally at bay. It was quite a turnaround for the former Taipei American School standout, who did not score the night before in the Builders’ season-opening win over the Fubon Braves.
“I knew I had to do something to get my game back, so I took advantage of the opportunities that was given to me,” Creighton said after.
His return to winning form after spending a year in China’s CBA could add even more to the defending champs’ already multidimensional offense.
The Cats surprised the Builders with a 22-point first quarter to take a 22-17 lead after one quarter of play and kept it a close game until midway through the fourth, as they rallied from deficits as large as nine points in the second half.
Yet Creighton’s clutch threes, coupled with a pair of costly turnovers by the Cats in the closing minutes, ultimately sealed the win for the Builders.
LUXGENS 76, BANK OF TAIWAN 58
The Yulon Luxgens opened the season with a convincing trouncing of Bank of Taiwan in Taichung yesterday afternoon, which saw shooter Lu Cheng-rue break the 3,000-point career scoring mark.
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