The Hsinchu JKO Lioneers on Saturday edged out defending champions the Taipei Fubon Braves in a 102-101 comeback win to clinch Game 1 of the P.League+ finals.
The Lioneers, down 67-50 at halftime, fought back in the third quarter to take the lead 82-81, after guard Oscar Kao intercepted a pass, which teammate Nick Faust shot for a three-pointer with 1 minute, 46 seconds left.
Backed by a raucous sell-out home crowd of 7,200 fans at Hsinchu County Stadium, the Lioneers never looked back as they tallied a 35-17 run over the Braves to walk into the last quarter with an 85-84 lead.
Photo: CNA
The sides were tied at 101 apiece after Braves center Ihor Zaytsev landed a three-pointer with less than seven seconds remaining.
However, in the final two seconds, Lioneers forward Chu Yun-hao sank a free-throw after he was fouled. The Braves called a time-out, but were unable to score.
The Braves last year won the league’s inaugural season, defeating the Formosa Taishin Dreamers in finals cut short by COVID-19.
At a post-game news conference, Lioneers head coach Greg Lin said his players struggled early to overcome the Braves playoff experience.
“There were some problems in our defense, but during halftime, we talked about our strategy in the locker room. We calmed our players and motivated them,” Lin said.
The team performed much better in the second half, limiting the Braves’ scoring, Lin said.
The finals continue today at Hsinchu County Stadium, before moving to Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium for Game 3 on Thursday.
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