Underdogs rose to the occasion in two of the three games played in the Super Basketball League on Sunday with Pure Youth Construction rallying from behind to beat the dmedia Numen 114-105 in overtime and Bank of Taiwan shocking the heavily favored Taiwan Beer 90-85 at the Taipei County Sports Complex.
Trailing by three after rallying from eight down in the closing minute of regulation time, Pure Youth guard Chen Jung-jeh hit an off-balanced three-pointer with the clock winding down to force overtime.
That was the boost the builders needed as they went on to win the game to clinch their first playoffs berth in three seasons.
"What happened out there today was unbelievable," Pure Youth head man Hsu Jin-tseh said after the game. His team had come back from being second-to-last in the standings in January to legitimate playoff contenders in what has turned out to be a Cinderella season no matter how they finish out the year.
Leading the Pure Youth attack was forward Huang Chi-fong with 32 points.
Failure to convert on the free throws late in the game proved costly for dmedia as misses by Lin Guan-luen and Ouyang Jin-hen breathed new life into the builders.
BoT 90, Taiwan Beer 85
Behind a season-high 31-point outing by Chen Hsuen-shiang, Bank of Taiwan also found a way to drown Taiwan Beer in a 90-85 upset win to snap a 10-game losing skid against the beer crew that dated back to the start of last season.
Playing without the services of forwards Hsu Chih-chiang and Lin "Killer Bee" Chuin-fong due to injury, the bankers needed a strong showing by guard Lin Chih-long and Chen to even have a remote chance against the defending champs.
And that was exactly what they got as Chen converted 11 of 22 from the field, including seven three's while Lin chipped in his season-high of 21 as well to help their team pull off the upset.
With their postseason berth already determined (whether they finish out the regular season with a second or third finish, they will be playing the Numen), Taiwan Beer might have been taking the game lightly.
Dinos 77, Leopards 64
Winning their sixth in a row, the top-ranked Yulon Dinos easily handled the Taiwan Mobile Leopards 77-64 on Sunday to clinch their fifth straight regular season title.
The Leopards defense proved no match for the league-leaders as they bombarded the Leopards with 15 three-pointers on the night, with an excellent outing from Chen Chih-chung. The veteran Dinos point man ended up with a game-high 18 points and four assists.
SIBLING RIVALRY: Marc Marquez was locked in a duel with his little brother, falling behind at one point before recovering for his first season-opening victory since 2014 Six-time world champion Marc Marquez yesterday won the MotoGP season-opening Thailand Grand Prix to complete a dominant debut weekend at his new Ducati Lenovo Team, having also romped to Saturday’s sprint. The Spanish great took the 26-lap grand prix by 1.732 seconds for his 63rd MotoGP victory from younger brother Alex Marquez, who is still seeking a first checkered flag, with Francesco Bagnaia third to complete an all-Ducati podium. It completed a perfect weekend for Marc Marquez, who took pole position, the sprint victory and the grand prix win for a maximum 37 points to open the 22-leg 2025 campaign. He led from
AC Milan’s slender hopes of reaching next season’s UEFA Champions League took another hit on Thursday with a 2-1 defeat at Bologna which left them eight points from Serie A’s top four. Sergio Conceicao’s team sit eighth, some way behind fourth-placed Juventus after losing an entertaining contest at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, a match which was rescheduled from October last year due to torrential rain and flooding. Swathes of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy, much of which is fertile agricultural land, had been left under water following a massive autumn downpour. Dan Ndoye prodded home the decisive goal in the 82nd minute
Former Australian motorcycle gang member-turned-golfer Ryan Peake, who served a lengthy jail term for assault, yesterday produced a “life-changing” maiden win to qualify for The Open Championship. Peake held his nerve for a one-stroke victory at the New Zealand Open, earning him a berth at the major in Portrush, Northern Ireland, in July, pending clearance to travel as a convicted criminal. The 31-year-old from Perth celebrated animatedly and was showered with champagne by friends on the 18th green of the Millbrook Resort course near Queenstown after a redemption story rarely seen in the refined sport of golf. Peake held back tears as he
MILWAUKEE PREVAIL: Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 28 points as the Bucks withstood Nikola Jokic’s 27th triple-double of the season to beat the Nuggets Golden State star Stephen Curry on Thursday drilled 12 three-pointers in a scintillating 56-point display that carried the Warriors to a 121-115 victory over the Orlando Magic. Curry’s explosive performance helped the Warriors dig themselves out of a 17-point hole, with the point guard signaling the start of the fightback with a three-pointer from beyond the half-court line to end the first half that pulled the Warriors within 66-52 at the break. In the third quarter, he single-handedly outscored the Magic with 22 points to Orlando’s 21. The four-time NBA champion finished two three-pointers shy of former teammate Klay Thompson’s record for most
RSS