With their backs to the wall in a must-win situation, the Dacin Tigers rose to the occasion with an 89-76 win over the Yulon Luxgens in Game 5 of the Championship Finals at the Taipei County Gymnasium in Sinjhuang last night to force a Game 6 in the best-of-seven series.
After Friday night’s loss to the Luxgens, which gave them a commanding 3-1 lead, it was do-or-die for the defending champs.
That’s what Tiger skipper Chiou Da-chung got from his troops as they outplayed the Luxgens in every facet of the game to extend the series at least one more night in their quest to retain their title.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-DE, TAIPEI TIMES
Four three-pointers by the Tigers, highlighted by a pair from Tien Lei, helped them attain a surprising 22-13 lead after one quarter of play.
Even though the Luxgens answered with a 12-4 run in the second to come within one, the Dacin offense returned the favor with a 12-7 run to keep the lead at six (38-32) at the half.
Dacin started the second half with a 5-0 run to take a double-digit lead for the second time in the game, thanks to a three-pointer by Lin Yi-hui and an easy bucket by Allen from close range.
They would lead by as many as 14 later in the quarter, with Tien Lei nailing a pair of threes before the resilient Luxgens relied on the solid inside play of Tseng Wen-ding and the perimeter game of Lu Cheng-rue to keep the deficit a single-digit one by the end of the third.
Unfortunately for the Luxgens, Tien and guard Luo Yu-chuin continued to hit their shots from the field in the fourth, while Chang Chih-fong showed tremendous hustle by grabbing five rebounds off the offensive glass in the second half to keep the Yulon from mustering any serious attempts at a comeback.
“Our perimeter game worked very well today and that made the difference in the game,” Luo said after the game, referring to Dacin’s outstanding perimeter shooting, as they converted nearly half of all their shots. “We hope to continue our momentum tomorrow to take it to Game 7 and win it there.”
The two teams will meet again in Sinjhuang at 7pm tonight for Game 6, where a win by the Luxgens will clinch it for the three-time champs.
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