Overcoming a six-point deficit early in the fourth quarter, Bank of Taiwan rallied from behind to top the defending champs from Taiwan Beer 90-80 at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to kickoff the new Lunar Year with a bang.
Chen Hsuen-shiang’s three-point play the old fashioned way with six minutes remaining in the contest capped an 11-3 run that gave the Bankers a 71-69 lead as they went on to defeat the Brew Crew to pick up win No. 2 for the year.
“Everybody thought we didn’t have a chance against [Taiwan Beer], so I told our guys to just come in and prove them all wrong,” Chen said after the game.
Photo: Courtesy of the SBL
His game-high 29 points, 10 of which came during the decisive fourth, did just that as the last-placed Bankers improved to 2-7 for the season with their captain in seemingly top form following a knee injury he suffered in their season-opener in December that sidelined him for more than six weeks.
Also starring for the Bankers were Hsu Chih-chiang and John Vaudreuil, whose 44 combined points gave the Bankers’ frontcourt trio a whopping 73 points.
“We knew [Taiwan Beer] were a little thin in terms of personnel with Lin Chih-jeh and Wu Dai-hao gone, so we wanted to let our big guys do all the work,” Bank of Taiwan skipper Lai Liang-chung said after the game.
His troops fully exploited the Taiwan Beer interior defense, which managed to hang with the Bankers for three quarters even with Lin “The Beast” and Wu now playing in China’s CBA, but finally collapsed in the fourth and ultimately cost them the game.
Poor free-throw shooting on the part of the Brew Crew also kept them from turning the tide against the Bankers as they shot a dismal 13 for 20 from the charity stripe, which made it tough to win.
Even though four different players scored in double digits for Taiwan Beer, led by Amis warrior Yang Jing-min’s team-high 23, the Bankers’ 30-14 scoring run in the fourth proved insurmountable in the end.
In yesterday’s late game, it was:
‧ Tigers 82, Leopards 79
Santiago Castro on Tuesday had an immediate impact off the bench as he scored the goal to send Bologna into the Coppa Italia semi-finals for the first time in 26 years. Bologna won 1-0 against last year’s runners-up, Atalanta BC, and are to play either holders Juventus or Empoli in the final four. Juventus are to host Empoli in their quarter-final on Feb. 26. The last time Bologna reached the semi-finals was in 1999, when they lost 4-2 to ACF Fiorentina. There were chances for both sides in a high-tempo match in Bergamo, but it was Bologna who broke the deadlock 10 minutes from
The former interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani on Thursday was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for bank and tax fraud after he stole nearly US$17 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers player’s bank account. Ippei Mizuhara, who was supposed to bridge the gap between the Japanese athlete and his English-speaking teammates and fans, was sentenced in federal court in Santa Ana to four years and nine months after pleading guilty last year. He was ordered to pay US$18 million in restitution, with nearly US$17 million going to Ohtani and the remainder to the US Internal Revenue Service. He was
SPEEDSKATER: Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s run at the Asian Winter Games without a medal since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990 Speedskater Chen Ying-chu yesterday made history as the first athlete representing Taiwan to secure a medal at the Asian Winter Games. Competing at the HIC Speedskating Oval in Harbin, China, Chen clocked 10.510 seconds in the women’s 100m event, finishing third behind South Koreans Lee Na-hyum and Kim Min-sun, who posted times of 10.501 and 10.505 seconds respectively. Her bronze medal ended Taiwan’s drought at the Asian Winter Games since the nation first participated in the second iteration in 1990. This year’s Games mark Chen’s debut at the event. Previously excelling in roller speedskating, she won six medals at world championships before transitioning
The 40-year-old LeBron James on Thursday became the oldest player to score 40 points in an NBA game, putting up a season-high 42 in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 120-112 victory over the Golden State Warriors. James passed the record held by Michael Jordan, his idol and the only other NBA player to score 40 after his 40th birthday. “I’m old, that’s my take,” James said when asked about his latest achievement. “I need a glass of wine and some sleep, that’s what I think.” Jordan did it for the Washington Wizards just three days after turning 40 in February 2003. James is 38