Pure Youth Construction took advantage of a 30-point third quarter to break a 35-35 tie at halftime wide open, humbling the Yulon Luxgens 81-67 at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven semi-final series.
Chen “Airman” Hsin-an erupted for an even dozen against his former team to account for a good portion of the Builders’ 30 points in the third that gave them a commanding 65-49 lead, a lead they would widen to as many as 23 points in the fourth, before settling for the eventual 14-point victory.
“[Chen] really played like the leader we wanted him to be for us,” Pure Youth skipper Hsu Jin-tseh said after the game about his prized off-season acquisition, whose leadership had been considered the missing factor in the Builders’ quest for their first-ever league title.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
Chen delivered just that as he took matters into his own hands by rolling off 10 straight points in the third to champion an offensive tidal wave that totally demolished the Luxgens.
Also starring for Pure Youth was center Quincy Davis, who redeemed himself after a subpar performance in Game 2 on Sunday with a dominant display inside the paint that resulted in 17 points and 16 rebounds for the American.
The teams do battle again in an all-important Game 4 tomorrow.
Yesterday’s other SBL playoff semi-final result:
‧ Tigers 79, Taiwan Beer 78
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