Seven first-quarter turnovers by the Bank of Taiwan led to a dozen fast-break points for Taiwan Beer as they took a 29-14 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in a 86-74 victory at the Taipei Physical College Gymnasium yesterday.
A sloppily played second quarter by both teams ended with Taiwan Beer doubling up on the bankers 52-26 at the half before the bankers fought back with an impressive 28-8 run in the third quarter to reduce what had been as large as a 34-point Taiwan Beer lead to just 14 points by the end of the third.
Key baskets by Taiwan Beer guard Cheng Hao-cheng in the fourth quarter kept the bankers' red-hot pursuit from getting any closer than 10 points. It was Taiwan Beer's first win of the season.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF THE SBL
Lin "the Beast" Chih-jeh led Taiwan Beer with 21 points.
Three-point threat Ho Sho-cheng and forward Wu Chih-yuan added 19 and 18 points, respectively.
As for the Bank of Taiwan, speedy guard Chien Ming-fu led all scorers with a game-high 22 points and nine rebounds in a brilliant effort.
The bankers' field general more than made up for his small stature (163cm) with outside shooting and exceptional instincts on the court.
PREVIEW
Three games are scheduled for today, with the Dacin Tigers taking on Bank of Taiwan at 3pm, followed by a match between the ETTV Antelopes and Taiwan Beer at 5pm and the Videoland Hunters' versus YMY at 7pm.
The Tigers should not have much trouble against the financiers because they simply have too many weapons for the bankers to defend against.
Forwards Tien Lei and Lee Fong-yong have an outside game to go along with their low post play, which makes them extremely difficult to defend.
Quick passing by the Tigers guards also gives them an edge in the transition game.
For the bankers to not lose this one ugly, frontcourt trio Yang Jing-ming, Chu Yong-hong and Chou Ben-tang hit the glass on defense to take away any second-shot opportunities.
Antelopes versus Taiwan Beer
The backcourt play of the Antelopes will determine the outcome of their match against Taiwan Beer.
If the Antelopes let the game slip away early, it will likely be a long night since the high-powered beermen offense will surely try to run up the score.
Hunters versus YMY
Fatigue after yesterday's game may slow down the Hunters enough for the young YMY squad to pull off an upset win.
The oldest team in the league with five players in their 30s may not have enough gas left in its tank to handle a young, nine-deep YMY lineup.
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