Patrick O’Bryant shot a perfect eight-for-eight from the field in a 19-point third quarter, while Chou Po-cheng chipped in another 14 on a double-double outing as Taiwan Beer overcame a sluggish second quarter with a strong third to defeat Pure Youth Construction 80-67 in Game 4 of the Super Basketball Finals at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
It was one of the best single-quarter performances ever in post-season history as the hired gun for the Brew Crew put on an offensive clinic on a 31-point night to put his club just one win shy of their fourth league title in team history.
Chou also played his best game of this post-season by far by converting five of seven from the field, including three threes on a 14-point and 10-rebound effort to stifle the four-time defending champs.
“Coach Yen gave me the greenlight all the way and the shots just started falling for me,” Chou said after the game.
The defensive specialist, who is known more for his glove-like coverage against the opposing team’s top offensive player, let it all hang out on the night to surprise the Builders.
In an eventful evening that featured a power outage with less than eight minutes to play in the second quarter that delayed the game for nearly an hour, Taiwan Beer opened the contest with a quick 21-17 advantage, despite turning the ball over nine times.
The sloppy play soon caught up with the Brew Crew as the Builders fought back by outscoring their opponents 18-9 in the second quarter to claim a 35-30 lead at the half.
That set up the all-O’Bryant offensive clinic in the third, in which Taiwan Beer poured in 32 compared with the Builders’ 17 to grab a double-digit lead, a margin they did not relinquish as they held on strong in the fourth quarter to deny Pure Youth any chance of a comeback.
The two teams will have today off the rest their bodies and souls as they prepare for tomorrow night’s Game 5, in which Taiwan Beer could clinch the series with a win, while the Builders look to extend the series for another game with a victory of their own.
MARRED FINAL: As most of Senegalese players walked off the pitch after a controversial decision, some supporters threw objects and attempted to get onto the pitch Senegal on Sunday won the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) as Pape Gueye’s extra-time winner sunk hosts Morocco 1-0 after a chaotic final that saw the eventual champions storm off the pitch late in the game. Brahim Diaz could have won the trophy for Morocco with a controversial spot-kick in the 24th minute of added time at the end of normal time as ugly scenes broke out in the stands. However, Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy easily saved the weak attempted “Panenka” chip by the Real Madrid winger, who was clearly distracted by the long delay that followed the penalty award.
James Harden on Friday scored 31 points and came up big in overtime to help the Los Angeles Clippers erase a double-digit deficit on the way to a 121-117 NBA victory over the Toronto Raptors. Harden scored 16 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Clippers pushed their wining steak to five games despite the absence of star Kawhi Leonard with a sprained right ankle. The Clippers trailed by 11 entering the fourth quarter, but Harden drilled a pair of free-throws with 1:24 left in regulation to tie it and after misses from both teams, they went to
Tobias Harris on Monday scored 25 points as the Detroit Pistons held off the Boston Celtics to score a 104-103 victory in their top-of-the-table Eastern Conference showdown. Harris was one of four Detroit players to finish in double figures, with Jalen Duren adding 18 points and point guard Cade Cunningham scoring 16 points with 14 assists. The win sees Detroit extend their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference to 31-10, 5.5 games ahead of second-placed Boston, who fell to 26-16 with the defeat. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics scoring with 32 points and almost snatched victory in the
Qatar’s Nasser al-Attiyah on Saturday secured his sixth Dakar Rally car title in Saudi Arabia with Luciano Benavides scraping home by two seconds to claim the motorbike title. “We’ve worked very hard since last year. I might not be showing much emotion yet, but it’s there, deep down. We are so happy to win,” al-Attiyah said at the finish. Al-Attiyah, at the wheel of a Dacia, only had to avoid a final day slip-up to top the podium after bringing his career tally of stage wins to 50 on Friday. The 55-year-old, who took clay pigeon shooting bronze at the
RSS