Overcoming a 14-point, first half deficit, the Taiwan Mobile Leopards defied all the odds by edging past the table topping Yulon Dinos 79-77 at the Taipei County Sport Complex on Friday evening to snap a two-game losing skid.
The victory not only eased the pain for the Leopards after they became the only team to lose to the previously winless Bank of Taiwan last week, it also ended the Dinos' winning streak at 12 and prevented the league-leaders from setting a new all-time record.
"It was a big win for us, given the fact that we played an undesirable role in ending one streak [Bank of Taiwan's 28-game losing streak dating back to last season], so it's only fitting that we come back and end another streak that is worth writing home about," Leopards rookie head coach and former national-team hero Cheng Chih-long said after the game.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
In search of their 13th straight win this season, the Dinos came out firing against the Leopards by hitting seven of eleven three-point shots to lead it 25-15 after the first quarter.
The tide would turn in favor of the Leopards midway through the second quarter when the underdogs snuck up on the Dinos by staging a 13-0 run to get within a point before Yulon regrouped and finished out the half leading 43-39.
After the Dinos managed to up their lead to eight early in the third, the Leopards would erupt for a surprising 8-0 run to tie the game up at 52-52 before rallying again with a 9-0 run midway through the final quarter to claim a 72-65 advantage with less than three minutes remaining in the game.
Even though the Dinos would force another tie at 77-77 with top scoring threat Chen "Airman" Hsin-an downing five straight, the night ultimately belonged to the Leopards as Liu Sheng-yao calmly connected from the perimeter to grab a 79-77 lead with 48 seconds on the clock, a lead they held all the way to the end.
Four different Leopards players scored in double-digits on the night, led by Wu Yong-ren's 14. Hsu Wei-sheng and Liu also chipped in 13 and 12 respectively against their former team.
As for the Dinos, underestimating their opponents was the biggest mistake they made, especially with the big first quarter they had.
"We got too comfortable and that will cost you the game every time," Dinos head man Lee Yun-kuan said after the game.
Taiwan Beer 83, Bank of Taiwan 66
Taiwan Beer had little trouble handling the Bank of Taiwan earlier on Friday with a commanding 83-66 thrashing improving their record to 8-4 for the season.
Following the tough loss to the Dinos last Sunday that led to skipper Yen Jia-hua's 10-game suspension for losing his cool with the officials, Taiwan Beer were forced to play without their spiritual leader for the first time in five years.
But that did not matter at all as the frontcourt trio of Wu Dai-hao, Yang Jing-min, and Ho Sho-cheng proved too much for the Bankers, racking up 52 combined points to account for the bulk of the Taiwan Beer points total.
Taiwan Beer took an overwhelming 22-8 lead after the first quarter and never looked back en route to a lopsided win.
Other than winning the rebound battle 45-32, the Bankers were outplayed and outmanned by the Beermen.
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