Hayden Wu yesterday missed a last-second layup for the Taoyuan Pilots, allowing the Taipei Fubon Braves a 98-97 victory, which moved them to 17 wins in the P. League+ basketball league, 0.5 games behind the table-topping Hsinchu JKO Lioneers.
The Pilots won the first two quarters to lead 56-49 at halftime, but a 28-20 third quarter put the Braves in front heading into the final period. The Braves’ Lin Chih-chieh scored the winning goal with a layup 11 seconds from the final hooter, prompting a Pilots time-out.
Wu received the inbound ball, but was harried by the defense and could not get properly set for the potential game winner, which would have given his bottom-of-the-table side only their eighth win this season.
In yesterday’s second game, the fourth-placed New Taipei Kings won 106-76 against the Kaohsiung Steelers, who are fifth.
On Friday, the Lioneers edged the Formosa Taishin Dreamers 89-84 to fortify their lead atop the standings.
Lioneers guard Elliot Tan scored a three with 48 seconds remaining to make the score 88-83 before making a steal on the following Dreamers possession and running a coast-to-coast play.
Lioneers head coach Greg Lin told a post-match news conference that his team played well in the first half, but did not remain completely focused in the second.
“We encountered some small problems in our offense in the fourth quarter, as we failed to fully make use of our shots from the perimeter and the free-throw line,” Lin said.
Tan, son of former Philippine Basketball Association player Alex Tan, thanked God for allowing him to play well in the game and said he was happy that his team stuck to their goals.
He also spoke about his clutch three-pointer.
“We led with many points at the start, but then the gap started to get smaller, so that shot had to go in,” Elliot Tan said.
Lioneers center April Sim Bhullar led all scorers with a double-double of 24 points and 20 rebounds, while Lin led his team with 16 points.
The Lioneers improved their record to 18-10, while the Dreamers are third in the six-team league with a 16-11 record.
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