Top-seeded Pure Youth Construction kept the series alive with a narrow 86-84 win over Taiwan Beer in Game 5 of the Championship Finals at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to trail the Brew Crew by a 3-2 margin in the best-of-seven series.
Lin Chin-bang’s timely rebound off a Chiang Yu-an miss with time running out denied the men in their familiar green uniforms a chance to tie the game as they nearly pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback against the three-time defending champs, which would have clinched the title.
Ten quick points by hired gun Garret Siler in the opening quarter helped the Builders take a 28-24 lead after 10 minutes of play.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Pure Youth added to their lead by three in the second quarter with eight combined points by backcourt duo Chen Shih-chieh and Chen Chien-en to close out the first half with a 47-40 advantage.
The Builders went up by as many as 14 in the third, with Chen Shih-chieh penetrating inside of the paint and Peng Chun-yen hitting two long three-pointers in a 25-point third to stretch the lead to 11 after three quarters of play.
Knowing no deficit was too big, the Brew Crew rallied in the fourth behind a pair of three’s by Patrick O’Bryant and Chiang’s clutch drive to the hoop to move within two.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Taiwan Beer saw a golden opportunity to turn the tide when Tsai Wen-cheng missed two rare free throws with 12.5 seconds remaining, giving them one final possession.
However, Chiang missed a layup after the Brew Crew executed the next offensive possession to near perfection, squandering what would have been a game-tying basket.
The teams face each other once again in New Taipei City this evening in what could the final game of the series should Taiwan Beer deliver a win. They will have history on their side, as no team who have reached three wins before the other finalist have failed to win the title in league’s history.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm.
Backup quarterback Luke Weaver on Wednesday night threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Nick Cenacle with 10 seconds left, as the University of Hawaii rallied for a 35-31 comeback victory over the University of California, Berkeley in a thrilling Hawaii Bowl. Weaver entered the game after Micah Alejado took a hard hit on the previous play. With the Rainbow Warriors (9-4) in range for a tying field goal, coach Timmy Chang took a shot at the end zone, and Cenacle got between two defensive backs and made the contested catch. “How amazing is that?” Chang said. “It’s a program that is built
Hosts Morocco on Friday were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, ending their world record run of wins and leaving them still to make sure of progress to the next stage. Midfielder Brahim Diaz tucked away a penalty in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, but Mali equalized from the spot midway through the second half through Lassine Sinayoko. Both penalties were awarded after video reviews in a tempestuous clash at the end of a busy day of action at the tournament. Morocco were atop the Group A standings with four points, while Zambia,
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic first day of the fourth Ashes Test yesterday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge. England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies in front of 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue
RSS