Unbeaten Taiwan Beer took advantage of a tremendous start in which they outscored the Dacin Tigers 21-5 in the first seven minutes of play and went on to defeat the Cats 94-75 in Game 3 of the semi-finals at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.
Patrick O’Bryant played his best game of the post-season thus far by downing 34 points to spearhead a high-powered Taiwan Beer offense that lit up the scoreboard with 78 points in just three quarters of play.
Also starring was Liu Cheng, who netted 23 on the night to up his three-game scoring total to a whopping 79 points — an average of 26.3 points per game.
Photo: Hui Liao-zhen, Taipei Times
“We are playing better as a team now and that is very important in the post-season,” Liu said after the game.
His team outplayed the Tigers in nearly every facet of the game, highlighted by an astonishing 20-for-32 shooting from the field (62.5) to cruise past Dacin in convincing fashion.
What should have been a closely-matched series between the second and third-seeded teams has been all Taiwan Beer after their 95-90 overtime victory in the opener and having won the past two games by an average margin of 15 points.
The two teams are to have a day off today before tomorrow night’s potential series-clincher in New Taipei City.
PURE YOUTH 82, BRAVES 69
In the night’s other match, top-seeded Pure Youth Construction made it two wins in a row by roughing up the Fubon Braves 82-69 to take Game 3 of the semi-finals.
The win not only gave the four-time defending champions a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven set, but also restored some much-needed confidence after they unexpectedly dropped the opener on Saturday to fall behind the Braves.
Four three’s apiece from Doug Creighton and Peng Chun-yen led a Builders attack that converted 12 of 28 from downtown to overwhelm a Fubon defense that seemed out of synch at times.
Pure Youth also dominated the boards by out-rebounding their opponents 47-31, thanks to a great defensive effort that kept the Braves off the glass.
“Defense was the key to our win, especially in the third quarter,” Creighton said after the game.
The former Taipei American School standout led his team with 17 points on the night, while holding Fubon top scorer Earl Barron to 18 points in the game, more than 10 points short of Barron’s 29.7 average points per game in their three wins over the Yulon Luxgens in the first round.
The Builders defense held Fubon to a dismal 6-for-23 shooting from the floor in a 14-point third, while scoring 25 on offense to break a 10-point halftime lead wide open in the decisive third.
Heading into the contest with one win apiece, both clubs realized the importance of winning this game.
However, it was Pure Youth who executed their game plan better on the court, with five three’s in the opening frame to set the tone early in the game.
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
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
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