Hsu Tseh-hsin (許澤鑫) had just one shot in the whole game on Sunday night, but his 22-footer from inside the three-point line at the buzzer broke the tie and clinched a seesaw match 78 to 76 for the Jeoutai Elephants against BCC Mars.
The win put the Elephants one game behind the fourth-placed Mars in a tight race for the fourth, and final, spot in the upcoming playoffs.
"I knew I had to get the shot off in a hurry and I am glad it went our way," Hsu said after the game.
An apparent error by the timekeeper that added an extra four seconds onto the clock late in the game might have helped the Elephants' cause.
"I still can't believe how [the timekeeper] managed to fit two possessions in the final 7.1 seconds," Mars head man Chung Chih-mong (鍾枝萌) said after the game. "It's simply unacceptable because it had a direct impact on the outcome of the game."
Elephants 80, Bank of Taiwan 63
Bank of Taiwan played a fine first half against the Elephants on Friday night before hitting the skids in the second half as it suffered its 10th straight defeat of the season.
The game began with the Elephants grabbing a 23-13 lead after the first period, before the financial wizards fought back to make it a two-point game at the half.
Then the Elephant offense took over.
With five perfect fastbreaks and a three-minute Bank of Taiwan scoring drought, the Elephants enjoyed a 14-0 run that put the game out of reach for good.
Four of the starters for the Bankers were able to score 10 or more in the game, but it was not sufficient for them to repeat the win that they got back in mid-December.
Taiwan Beer 72, Mars 82
As part of a "wear blue and get in for free" promotion sponsored by the Mars, over 2,000 blue-clad fans packed the Taipei Sports Education College Arena on Saturday afternoon to witness the Mars crush Taiwan Beer by 82-72.
Lin "the Monster" Chih-jeh (林志傑) busted loose early in the first for the Beer men by sinking four three-pointers in a row to account for half of Taiwan Beer's first 24 points.
Then the Mars fought back with their own perimeter game in the second period to keep Taiwan Beer's lead under 10 points.
Lin never managed to free himself from the Mars' defense as he went 2-for-16 from beyond the arc for the rest of the game. Even though he did lead all scorers with 34 points, his inability to hit the open man at crucial moments ultimately led to Taiwan Beer's fall.
Tigers 64, Dinos 67
Game 2 on Saturday between the Dacin Tigers and the Yulon Dinos showcased the top two players in league -- Tien Lei (
In an evenly matched contest, where neither team was able to lead by more than three, the Tigers found themselves down by three with less than 30 seconds left on the clock.
Tiger reserve guard Cheng Chang-jun (鄭常君), who hit four three-pointers in the game, came up just short in the game-tying three-point attempt as the Tigers suffered another close defeat in their third meeting against the Dinos.
Lions 64, Bank of Taiwan 50
Holding the last-placed Bank of Taiwan to below 24-percent shooting from the floor, the red-hot Sina Lions easily handled their opponents on Sunday with a 64-50 win to extend their winning streak to 11 games and counting.
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