Emerging from three mediocre quarters of play, Lin “the Beast” Chih-jeh erupted for 12 of his team’s final 20 points in a stunning fourth quarter to lead Taiwan Beer past the Yulon Dinos in Game Four of the SBL Championship Series at the Taipei County Sports Complex on Friday evening. Beer now lead the best-of-seven series 3-1.
“I wasn’t exactly performing like I had been capable of doing through the first three quarters, so I concentrated on playing good defense and not turning the ball over,” the Beast said on his slow start.
However, with the game on the line, he managed to rise to the occasion by hitting three clutch three-pointers in the final six minutes of the game to help the Beer Crew fend off a tenacious Yulon rally.
PHOTO: LIAO CHEN-HUEI, TAIPEI TIMES
JOB DONE
“I knew somebody had to come up big for us to win and I am glad I got the job done,” the Beast said.
Unlike the first three games where the winners won by an average margin of 14.7 points per game, the showdown between top two squads in the league finally lived up to its billing, with the Dinos finding themselves two better in a 20-18 game after the opening quarter. Taiwan Beer returned the favor by outscoring the Dinos 18-16 to close out the half 36-36.
A tremendous effort by the Taiwan Beer defense that held the regular-season champions to seven points scored during the third quarter put the Beer Crew 53-43 ahead.
But a streaky 11-0 run at the start of the fourth quarter would quickly bring the Dinos back into the game and actually gave them a brief lead before the Beast single-handedly took over the match and delivered the knockout punch in the closing minutes.
Three different Taiwan Beer players scored in double-digits on the night, with the Beast’s game-high 26 points leading the way. Fellow Amis Tribe warrior Yang Jing-min also chipped in 17, along with big man Wu Dai-hao’s 10.
Even though Taiwan Beer won a game that put them within a win of taking the title, it did come at a cost as guards Yen Hsin-shu and Chen Shih-nian both injured their ankles in the game. Neither player is likely return to action in the remainder of the series, which means backup guards Hsu “the Fool” Hao-cheng and Lu Hsin-liang will see considerable playing time.
DO OR DIE
As for the Dinos, who also had three players in double-digits, led by Chen “Airman” Hsin-an’s team-high 23 points and 14 rebounds, failure to contain the Beast in the final quarter proved fatal as they watched the Beer Crew take the game from them.
“It’s do-or-die time for us now because there is no tomorrow,” Dinos skipper Lee Yun-kuan told his team after the game.
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS