Red-hot Jonathan Sanders continued his recent dominance in the Super Basketball League (SBL) by turning in a triple-double on Saturday evening to lead Pure Youth Construction past Bank of Taiwan to an 86-81 win at the Miaoli County Sports Complex.
Fresh off his Player of the Week selection last week, the American forward followed his 25 points, 16 rebounds and four-assist average (in two games last week) with 17 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to demonstrate his versatility and leadership on the court.
Also starring for the Builders was forward Tsai Wen-cheng, who racked up a career-high 28 points with four rebounds and as many steals to account for more than half of Pure Youth’s total offensive production.
PHOTO: LIAO YAO-TUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
The Builders started off the game poorly, with several questionable shot selections in an opening quarter that saw the Bankers outscore them 23-13, but they regrouped in a hurry in the second quarter by pouring in 29 points in the quarter to enjoy a 42-35 lead at the half.
The lead was also at seven for Pure Youth after three quarters of play, but dwindled to as few as three points late in the game before they turned back a Bankers’ rally to preserve the victory.
The win boosted Pure Youth’s record to 2-1 for the year, just a half-game behind the top-ranked Yulon Luxgens.
As for the Bankers — winless after three tough battles — it could be the beginning of another long, dreadful season.
TIGERS 64, LEOPARDS 62
Overcoming deficits as large as 10 points in the fourth quarter, the Dacin Tigers scored the final dozen points against the Taiwan Mobile Leopards to escape with a narrow 64-62 win.
Point man Wang Chih-chuin’s clutch three-pointer in the final minute of the game capped a 12-0 rally.
Newcomer Antonio Grant did not get the chance to start for the Leopards in his Taiwan debut, but made his presence felt with eight first-half points en route to a team-high 15.
However, it was not enough to translate into a win for skipper Cheng Chih-long.
LUXGENS 69, TAIWAN BEER 63
The Yulon Luxgens needed another strong finish in the decisive fourth quarter for the second straight night to fend off a late-game comeback by Taiwan Beer for a 69-63 win.
All-star center Tseng Wen-ding more than earned his paycheck by playing the entire contest for the second game in a row, scoring 18 points and pulling down 13 boards to lead the way for the three-time champs, making the departure of premier forward Chen Hsin-an a seemingly distant memory.
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