Scoring early and often, the Taiwan Mobile Leopards easily beat Bank of Taiwan 79-66 at the Sinjhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City last night for their eighth win of the season.
Liu Sheng-yao and Marcus Dove netted 18 points apiece to lead a balanced Leopard attack that had five different players manage double-digit scores, making it virtually impossible for the Bankers to defend against.
“This is what we are capable of doing if we can focus as a team for four quarters,” Liu said after the game.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The Leopards are known for their inconsistency, which is why they are 8-15 and struggling to keep their playoff ambitions alive.
The Bankers shot a miserable 4-for-18 from the field in the opening frame to find themselves down by a dozen and dug themselves into an even deeper hole in the second quarter by scoring only seven compared with the Leopards’ 20 to trail 18-43 at the half.
The Bankers managed 19 points in the third quarter and closed the gap to as few as 11 in the fourth thanks to a stellar performance by Chen Hsuen-shiang who led all scorers with 19 on the night.
However, it was too little, too late as the Leopards held on in the final minutes to earn a solid win.
The loss marked the Bankers’ third straight defeat after they had won three in a row to make a run for the postseason.
“We really rushed most of our shots tonight, that’s why not many fell for us,” Chen said.
TIGERS 82, LUXGENS 74
The Dacin Tigers cruised past the Yulon Luxgens in the second game last night to force a tie for the third spot in the standings with the Luxgens.
Alexus Foyle had a huge day at the office, with 22 points in the first half alone en route to a season-high 38-point effort.
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