Hottest young star Chen Hsin-an knocked down seven shots in 16 attempts behind the three-point line and scored a game-high 29p, helping Yulon to a 5-0 perfect record with a 102-96 triumph over Hong-fu Rams, which lost its fourth straight and finished dead last in the league.
Import Emmett Hall collected 20p and 10rb in the game. Hall's monster slam in the 3rd quarter destroyed the rim, the league staff had to instructed the alternate backboard before the game could resume.
Hong-fu 6-5 rookie forward Shan Wei-fan, the MVP of A-League last season, showed promising future with a 26p+10rb(7 Orb) outing. PG Mike Elliot again turned in a solid performance with 23p and 10rb, although some still questioned his selfishness and high turnover-rate.
In the best game of the week, we saw Luckipar's Erik Martin and Dacin's Von Bennett engaged in a personal dual. Bennett shattered Martin's CBA season high scoring record(33p) with 35p on 14-20 shooting and pulled down 16rb but came up short in the W-L column. It told Dacin once again that Bennett alone was not enough. Although having trouble guarding big-body Bennett, Martin tallied 33p and 17rb to give Luckipar the most important win of the first half of the season. Luckipar is now 2-3 and in a position to grab the last ticket to the playoff.
All teams will have a 10-day break for the upcoming Chinese New Year before the bottom half of the season starts. League games will not resume until February 11.
1/30 Yulon 102-96 Hong-fu
Yulon - Chen Hsin-an 29p(7-16 3PT), 5rb, 5a, 3s; Emmett Hall 20p, 10rb; Chou Hong-yu 16p; Huang Bao-tze 12p; Wu Chih-wei 11p, 7rb
Hong-fu - Shan Wei-fan 26p, 10rb; Mike Elliot 23p, 10rb, 3a, 6TO
1/29 Mars 87-85 Hong-kuo
Mars - Brian Reese 25p, 14rb; Song Tao 17p, 9rb; Yen Hsin-shu 14p, 6rb, 5a
Hong-kuo - Lo Shin-liang 20p; Chiu Ter-chi 17p; Huang Chun-hsiung 13p; Rex Manu 12p, 10rb; Liu Yi-shian 11p, 11rb
1/28 Luckipar 98-91 Dacin
Luckipar - Erik Martin 33p(10-13 FG, 12-16 FT), 17rb, 3a, 3s; Chen Chih-chun 13p, 6a
Dacin - Von Bennett 35p(14-20 FG), 16rb, 3a, 3s; Hong Yi-chuan 18p
STANDING(thru January 31)
Yulon 5-0
Mars 3-2
Hong-kuo 3-2
Luckipar 2-3
Dacin 1-3
Hong-fu 0-4