Chen Hsin-an had 16 points, 14 rebounds and 5 assists as Yulon beat SINA 88-81 in the opening game of the inaugural SBL season. Chen had 14 of his 16 points in the second half.
Yulon’s tenacious defense forced experienced SINA to 20 turnovers. And SINA didn’t help themselves as they missed 15 of 31 free-throw attempts. Both numbers became the deciding factors of the game.
Center Tsun Wen-din had a team-high 17 points. Chiu Chi-yi had 14. Chen Chih-chun had 13 points and successfully shut down SINA lead guard Chou Jun-san, forcing him to 8 turnovers – which doesn’t happen often.
SINA was hurt by the absence of forward Huang Chun-hsiung, who sat out the game because of neck muscle strain.
The first SBL season tipped-off tonight to begin the five-month crusade, which is trying to bring back fans’ interest toward basketball.