The second-placed Yulon Luxgens bounced back nicely from consecutive losses last weekend with a big 71-66 win over the league-leading Dacin Tigers yesterday afternoon at the Taipei Municipal Gymnasium.
The win not only stopped a recent slide in form for the three-time champs, but also reduced a once comfortable five-game lead for the Tigers to a slim 1.5 one over the Luxgens with around half-a-dozen games remaining for both teams in the regular season.
Yulon opened the contest with a surprising 23-11 lead after the first quarter of play thanks to an eight-point effort from forward Lee Chih-yi and a buzzer-beating three-pointer from near half-court by point guard Chen Chih-chung.
PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
The Tigers then regained their composure and played the Luxgens point for point in an evenly matched second quarter to close out the first half without falling further behind. They eventually cut the deficit to single-digits late in the third by pulling off an impressive 14-2 run.
The Tigers led the game briefly late in the fourth with forwards Tien Lei and Lin Yi-hui scoring the bulk of their points only to see the Luxgens respond with a game-tying basket from Lu Cheng-rue’s with under two minutes to play and Lee nailing a three pointer to give them the lead in the final minute of play.
Leading the Luxgens with a double-double outing was center Tseng Wen-ding, whose 18-points and eleven boards kept the Tiger defense busy throughout the match.
His outstanding defense against the Tigers’ Byron Allen also played a key role in neutralizing the inside game for the Tigers’ offense.
As for the Tigers, Tien’s season-high 28 points was the lone highlight for the defending champs, the rest of the pack being held in check by the Luxgens as they took the late victory.
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