Bouncing back from a tough loss to the Dacin Tigers the night before, Kinmen Kaoliang pulled off a major upset against the second-ranked Fubon Braves with a thrilling 89-88 win at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City yesterday afternoon.
Chen Guan-chuan’s jumper that Darian Townes swatted away with the clock winding down was ruled a basket on a goaltending call to give the Distillers an 89-88 lead — one that they would not relinquish.
Kinmen have baffled the Braves in two of their four meetings so far, with each win ending a six-game win streak for the Braves each time.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Chen was not the lone hero on the night for Kinmen Kaoliang as hired gun Bryan Davis’ game-tying three with a defender in his face and 17 seconds on the clock was equally invaluable in helping his team pull off the improbable win.
He finished with a game-high 30 points and 14 rebounds on another big day at the office.
The Braves came out firing with 22 quick points in the opening frame to enjoy a 22-16 lead after one quarter of play.
However, the Distillers were able to chip away at the deficit with a superior second quarter to trail their opponents by a pair at the half.
Neither team had the upper hand in an evenly fought third, which set up a physical fourth that was marred by an offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct call on Kinmen Kaoliang’s Chen Ching-huan and the Braves’ Chang Yu-lin.
TIGERS 72, LUXGENS 74
The Yulon Luxgens needed overtime to tame the Dacin Tigers in the second game in New Taipei last night to escape with a narrow win.
The Automakers squandered a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter by missing four of six free-throw attempts in regulation to allow the Cats to send the game into an extra session.
However, with the game on the line, Lu Cheng-rue and Derek Caracter managed to convert five of the Luxgens’ final six attempts from the charity stripe to deny the Cats their second straight win.
PURE YOUTH 80, TAIWAN BEER 72
Top-ranked Pure Youth Construction rallied from a five-point deficit early in the fourth with a 14-2 run to lead it by seven and held on to defeat Taiwan Beer 80-72 in the final game in New Taipei yesterday.
With their imported star Garret Siler fouled out with five minutes left in the game, the Builders knocked down the clutch shots when it mattered the most to fend off the Brew Crew in a gutsy win.
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