Sunday, February 27, 2005

VL rallies to end three-game losing streak

Videoland(11-5) overcame a halftime 14-point deficit behind PG Chen Huei’s 25 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and beat Taiwan Beer 72-67, snapping its three-game losing streak. VL’s tenacious defense limited SBL scoring leader Lin Chi-jay down to 9 points, his lowest output of the season.

Taiwan Beer(8-7) had a comfortable lead at halftime, 44-30, but couldn’t find baskets in the second half, when they were outscored 23-42 by a rejuvenated VL. Lin Chi-jay had only 9 points, shooting 1 for 11 from the three-point range.

Sina(2-14) veteran Lo Shin-liang once again proves his worth. Lo had 32 points in Sina’s second win of the season, a 94-87 victory over Bank of Taiwan. Sina made 12 of 25 three-pointers in the game. BOT has lost four straight and dropped to 6-10.

Feb.26
Videoland 72-67 Taiwan Beer
VL: Chen Huei 25p+8rb+6a, Hsiung Jen-jen 13p, Lin Jia-huang 13p, Lee Chi-yi 9p+9rb
TB: Chen Shi-nian 14p, Lin Kwan-lun 14p, Ha Hsiao-yuan 12p

Sina 94-87 BOT
Sina: Lo Shin-liang 32p, Hsu Yong-yi 15p, Liu Yi-hsiang 15p
BOT: Yang Chin-min 32p, Lin Chun-feng 13p

Feb.25
Yulon 81-59 ETSN
Yulon: Tsun Wen-din 21p+9rb+6blk, Chen Chih-chun 16p+6a, Chou Shih-yuan 16p, Wu Chih-wei 15p+8rb, Lee Hsueh-lin 11p+6rb+5a
ETSN: Wu Dai-hao 17p+9rb, Wu Cheng-dao 15p+6rb, Chou Jun-san 10p

Dacin 99-77 Bank of Taiwan
Dacin: Tien Lei 26p+11rb+4a+5blk, Wang Chih-chun 26p+5a, Hsu Chi-chao 14p, Chang Chi-feng 13p+8rb
BOT: Yang Chin-min 22p, Lin Chun-feng 19p+7rb

Standings:
1. Yulon 11-3
2. VL 11-5
3. Dacin 10-6
4. TB 8-7
5. ETSN 6-9
6. BOT 6-10
7. Sina 2-14

Thursday, February 24, 2005

High School – Tsaishin wins 2004-05 HBL title

Tsaishin High School, which produced current NT players like Tsun Wen-din and Wu Dai-hao, won its third title in four years on February 22, beating Shinjung High School 79-66 in the championship game. It’s Tsaishin’s fourth title in school history.

C Jian Jia-hong(196cm) and F/G Zuo Tsun-kai(188cm), who have been playing together since junior high and were also teammates in Taiwan U-18 NT, scored 18 points and 11 points respectively in their last game in high school. But the brightest star of the night was Chang Bo-shen, who tallied game-high 30 points and led Tsaishin come from behind in the third quarter with a decisive 15-2 run.

Shinjung HS lost to Tsaishin in the title game for the second time. It also lost to Tsaishin in 2003. Chang Jungshuan had 21 points for Shinjung. Center Tasi Jun-min had 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Jian Jia-hong, who also had 9 rebounds and 4 assists in the game, was named season MVP. Shinjung’s Lin Yi-fu was named Freshman of the Year.

Final HBL Men’s placing:
1. Tsaishin, 2. Shinjung, 3. Nanshan, 4. Kaoyuan, 5. Sanmin, 6. Songshan, 7. Chanshu, 8. Pintung

Tuesday, February 22, 2005

ETSN beats VL in new coach Lee's debut

Yang Yu-min scored 28 points, including 18 in the fourth quarter, and Chou Jun-san had 17 points and 7 assists as ETSN beat Videoland 91-84 in head coach Lee Yun-hsiang's debut on Sunday. ETSN won two striaght and climbed to 6-8. Yulon(10-3) routed Sina 92-78 and climbed to the first place, while VL(10-5) dropped to second.

34 year-old Lee Yun-hsiang, a former NT player and has been working for ESPNSTAR Sports as a TV analyst, was hired by ETSN as technical consultant. However he will take full responsibility as head coach. The reason he is not listed as head coach is he doesn't possess Rank-B basketball coach certification. Under CTBA rule, he can't be listed as head coach in the first division.

The 6-3 Lee was a highly-regarded wing player in his playing days and was selected to ABC Asian All-Star Game in late nineties. He took over the stuggling ETSN and will try to take the team into the playoffs.

It wil not be an easy task. Lee will have to first gain the trust of veteran PG Chou Jun-san, who's older than Lee. Secondly he has to squeeze out the potential of NT players Yang Yu-min and Wu Dai-hao. Most of all, he has to make ETSN function as a team, not a group of individuals. Observers think that, with ETSN's talent and depth, they have no reason to be at 6-8 right now.

ETSN 91-84 VL
ETSN: Yang Yu-min 28p, Chou Jun-san 17p+7a, Wu Cheng-dao 17p
VL: Lee Chi-yi 18p, Lai Kuo-hong 18p, Chen Huei 14p

Yulon 92-78 Sina
Yulon: Tsun Wen-din 25p(10-12 FG)+8rb+3s+4blk, Chen Chih-chun 17p, Hong Chi-chao 17p, Chou Shih-yuan 16p
Sina: Lo Shin-liang 21p+9rb, Liu Yi-hsiang 18p+11rb, Kao Li-min 16p

Sunday, February 20, 2005

White beat Red 96-89 ; Lo repeates as MVP

With all five starters scoring in double figures, White Team beat Red Team 96-89 in the annual SBL All-Star Game last night at Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium. But Lo Shin-liang, who is on Red Team, surprisingly got the nod as MVP with his 17 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals versatile performance.

Lo Shin-liang also won the MVP honor in the All-Star Game last year.

Tien Lei won the Dunk contest with his creativity, taking his jersey and pant off in successive dunks. Sina's rookie Chang Yu-lin finished second. Videoland's rookie Wu Cheng-yu surprisingly won the Three-point Shootout.

Before the All-Star Game, Legends beat Rookies 71-64 in an exhibition game that features old-timers and retired NT players like Cheng Chih-lung, Lee Yun-kwang and Dong-fan Che-der. Cheng Chih-lung, who a couple years ago was still regarded as one of Asia's finest players, scored 23 points in the game.

All-Star Game: White 96-89 Red
White: Chou Shi-yuan 17p+10rb+3a, Yang Chin-min 15p+7rb, Lin Chi-jay 13p+7rb, Tsun Wen-din 11p+14rb+4a+4blk, Yang Yu-min 11p
Red: Lee Chi-yi 19p+5rb, Lo Shin-liang 17p+5rb+7a+3s, Chang Chi-feng 16p+5rb+3s, Tien Lei 14p+5rb

Saturday, February 19, 2005

Chou Jun-san proves his All-Star status

ETSN veteran Chou Jun-san, who’s omitted in the SBL All-Star selection, proved he deserves to be in the game. Chou made two straight jumpers in the last minute as ETSN came from behind to upset Dacin 76-75 Friday.

The fact that Chou wasn’t selected in the SBL All-Star Game as backups by White Team head coach Yen Jia-hwa is basically a shock to fans and media as well. Chou Jun-san has played in every kind of All-Star Games you can imagine but not this one.

He proves his worth though. Trailed by 12 in the intermission, ETSN cut the deficit in the closing minutes. Chou made two consecutive mid-range jumpers in the last minute with his final jumper gave ETSN the lead and the victory, ending Dacin’s four-game winning streak.

Wu Dai-hao had 26 points and 9 rebounds to pace ETSN. Chou Jun-san had 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, while Shan Wei-fan had 12 points.

Tien Lei topped Dacin scoring with 19 points to go along with 9 rebounds.

In the other matchup, Chen Shi-nian scored personal season-high 35 points and lead Taiwan Beer to a 102-95 win over Bank of Taiwan. TB’s Lin Chi-jay had 23 points. Center Ha Hsiao-yuan, who will be a first-time All-Star tomorrow night, had 17 points and 7 rebounds.

Yang Chin-min had 30 points for BOT, who received a solid game of 20 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists from Lin Chun-feng.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

2005 SBL All-Star Game roster finalized

Red Team

G Chang Chi-feng, Dacin
G Lo Shin-liang, Sina
C Lee Fong-yong, Dacin
F Tien Lei, Dacin
F Yang Che-yi, Videoland
G Chen Huei, Videoland
G Lin Jia-huang, Videoland
G Wang Chih-chun, Dacin
F Lee Chi-yi, Videoland
F Hsiung Jen-jen, Videoland
C Lai Kuo-hong, Videoland
C Liu Yi-hsiang, Sina

White Team

G Chen Shi-nian, Taiwan Beer
GYang Yu-min, ETSN
C Tsun Wen-din, Yulon
F Lin Chi-jay, Taiwan Beer
F Chou Shih-yuan, Yulon
G Hsu Hao-cheng, Taiwan Beer
G Chen Chih-chun, Yulon
G Lee sueh-lin, Yulon
F Ho Sho-jen, Taiwan Beer
F Yang Chin-min, Bank of Taiwan
C Ha Hsiao-yuan, Taiwan Beer
C Wu Dai-hao, ETSN

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

SBL All-Star Game starters named

Starters of the 2005 NIKE SBL All-Star Game, which will be held on February 19th, were named on Monday.

*All-Star Game starters
Red Team: G Chang Chi-feng(Dacin) ; G Lo Shin-liang(Sina) ; F Tien Lei(Dacin) ; F Yang Che-yi(VL) ; C Lee Fong-yong(Dacin)
White Team: G Chen Shi-nian(Taiwan Beer) ; G Yang Yu-min(ETSN) ; F Lin Chi-jay(Taiwan Beer) ; F Chou Shi-yuan(Yulon) ; C Tsun Wen-din(Yulon)

*Three-Point Shootout participants
Chou Shi-yuan, Lee Hsueh-lin(Yulon)
Wu Yong-jen, Jian Ming-fu(BOT)
Lin Chi-jay, Ho Sh-jen(TB)
Hu Yu-wei, Wu Cheng-yu(VL)
Chou Jun-san, Shin Jin-jan(ETSN)
Hong Chih-shan, Lu Cheng-ju(Sina)
Hsu Chi-chao, Lee Fong-yong(Dacin)

*Dunk Contest Participants
Tsun Wen-din(Yulon)
Wang Shin-kai(BOT)
Wu Yang-huei(Taiwan Beer)
Hsiao Yuan-chan(ETSN)
Chang Yu-lin(Sina)
Tien Lei(Dacin)

Monday, February 07, 2005

Incredible win for TB

Trailed by as many as 22 points, Taiwan Beer never gave up. TB used a 17-2 fourth quarter rally to beat ETSN in overtime, 64-62, on Saturday. Ho Sho-jen made the go-ahead three-pointer with 4.3 seconds to go in overtime to complete the incredible comeback.

ETSN jumped to a fast start in the first quarter, leading 18-8, and led by as many as 22 points. But they only managed to made two free-throws in the fourth as Taiwan Beer found a second wind. TB center Ha Hsiao-yuan played the game of his life, scoring 23 points and pulling down 12 rebounds plus four blocks.

Taiwan Beer 64-62(OT) ETSN
TB: Ha Hsiao-yuan 23p+12rb+4blks, Lin Chi-jay 15p+14rb+5s+6TO, Ho Sho-jen 9p
ETSN: Shan Wei-fan 14p+9rb, Wu Jun-hsiung 11p+8rb, Wu Dai-hao 7p+9rb+3blk, Hsu Tse-shin 10p

Yulon 78-66 BOT
Yulon: Lee Hsueh-lin 17p+7rb+5a, Chou Shih-yuan 13p, Tsun Wen-din 11p+9rb+3a+3s+4blk, Chen Chih-chun 10p+5rb+5a, Chou Hong-yu 10p+8rb
BOT: Chuan Hsiao-wen 19p, Lin Chun-feng 15p+6rb

Lo Shin-liang leads Sina to first win of season

Lo Shin-liang made two crucial three-pointers in the last three minutes as Sina edged Taiwan Beer 84-78 to end its 13-game losing streak on Sunday, the last game day before the Chinese New Year break. Sina is still only 1-13, but at least they can have a happier vacation.

Sina trailed 71-66 with six minutes left. Lo Shin-liang, Liu Yi-hsiang and rookie Lu Cheng-ju scored Sina's last 18 points, including four three-pointers, to complete the last rally. Lo made a three-pointer to cut the deficit to one point before Liu Yi-hsiang made another trey to pull ahead, 75-73. Lo swished another three-pointer on fastbreak with 1:06 left, when the score was 80-73, to ensure Sina put a "W" on the win-loss column.

The victory is the first win for Sina since April 13, 2004, when they beat Dacin in the Game 3 of the 2004 SBL first round playoffs and advanced to the Finals. Since then Sina dropped three straight to Yulon in the title series and opened the 2004-05 season with 13 straight losses. In all, it is an embarrassing, also unbelievable, 16-game losing streak.

In the first game of the day, Tien Lei had 28 points, 15 rebounds and 6 assists in Dacin's 79-76 win over Videoland. Dacin knocked VL out of the first place and is riding on a four-game winning streak.

Dacin 79-76 VL
Dacin: Tien Lei 28p+15rb+6a, Hsu Chi-chao 19p, Chang Chi-feng 15p
VL: Lee Chi-yi 19p, Yang Che-yi 14p, Lai Kuo-hong 12p

Sina 84-78 Taiwan Beer
Sina: Lo Shin-liang 21p+12rb+6a, Lu Cheng-ju 20p, Liu Yi-hsiang 15p+7rb
TB: Lin Chi-jay 21p+7rb, Hsu Hao-cheng 12p+7rb, Lin Kwan-lun 11p

Standings:
Yulon 9-3, VL 10-4, Dacin 9-5, TB 7-6, BOT 6-7, ETSN 4-8, Sina 1-13

Friday, February 04, 2005

Sina lost 13 straight, BOT upset Videoland

Five consecutive turnovers costed Sina its potential first win of the season. Sina lost to Dacin 79-77, yet another close game, and extended its losing streak to 13 games.

Highly-underrated veteran Hsu Chi-chao had 21 points for Dacin, who also received 20 points and 14 rebounds from Tien Lei. Five Dacin players reached double-figure scoring.

Bank of Taiwan upset Videoland 82-70 to reach .500 at 6-6, surpassing last season’s 5 wins before the Chinese New Year break. BOT was 5-19 last season.

For VL it’s obvious a shocking loss. Lee Chi-yi, second leading scorer on the team at 15.4 points per game, was held scoreless.

There will be no games played between February 6th – February 18th, as traditional Chinese New Year break will last at least 7-10 days. The 2005 NIKE-SBL All-Star Game will be played on February 19th (Saturday).

Dacin 79-77 Sina
Dacin: Hsu Chi-chao 21p+10rb+4a+3s, Tien Lei 20p+14rb+4a+2blk, Chang Chi-feng 15p, Lee Fong-yong 11p, Wang Chih-chun 10p
Sina: Lo Shin-liang 18p, Lu Cheng-ju 15p+6rb+3blk, Liu Yi-hsiang 15p

Bank of Taiwan 82-70 Videoland
BOT: Yang Chin-min 23p, Lin Chun-feng 19p
VL: Yang Che-yi 23p, Lai Kuo-hong 18p

Standings:
VL 10-3, Yulon 8-3, Dacin 8-5, BOT 6-6, TB 6-5, ETSN 4-7, Sina 0-13

Thursday, February 03, 2005

Lin Chi-jay named SBL January Player of the Month

Lin Chi-jay, who averages 23.6 points and 7.3 rebounds for Taiwan Beer, was named SBL January Player of the Month on Wednesday. Lin led Taiwan beer to a five-game winning streak in January and scored a SBL single-game record 43 points in the 91-89 loss against Dacin last week, breaking the 41-point record which previously held by Chen Hsin-an.

Lin is the league's leading scorer right now and ranks fifth in rebounding. He received 27 points in the voting, beating Yulon's Chou Shih-yuan (25 points) and VL's Yang Che-yi (20 points).

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Beijing Aoshen completes 7-0 sweep in Taiwan tour

Beijing Aoshen, who was suspended in the 2004-05 Chinese CBA season, edged SBL defending champion Yulon 77-74 and completed its 7-0 sweep in the Taiwan tour.

With a starting lineup that averages 204cm, Aoshen beat every SBL team, winning the first six games by an impressive 20.6-point margin. Wing player Huo Nan is the best player in the series, averaging almost 20 points per game.

Yulon entered the game without four key players. Its best player Chen Hsin-an is playing in the ABA right now. Starting center Tsun Wen-din, experienced reserves Chiu Chi-yi and Wei Yong-tai all sat out the game because of injury.

But Yulon was ready. Its brilliant zone defense took away Aoshen’s inside play and challenged opponents’ every outside shots in the first half, when it twice led by 10 points.

Aoshen regained its momentum in the third quarter. Led by Huo Nan and 205cm PG Sun Yue, Aoshen rallied and led by 10 at one point. Yulon made a final run in the final five minutes. After Chou Shih-yuan’s consecutive jumpers, Yulon had the chance to win the game. However, a couple careless turnovers by Chou Shih-yuan let the opportunity slip away.

Chou Shih-yuan had game-high 27 points and 6 rebounds. Chen Chih-chun and Lee Hsueh-lin scored 16 respectively. Huo Nan led Aoshen with 23 points.

*Aoshen Game-by-game in Taiwan tour:
Game 7: Aoshen 77-74 Yulon Dinos
Game 6: Aoshen 76-67 Videoland Hnters
Game 5: Aoshen 82-65 Dacin Constructions
Game 4: Aoshen 87-73 ETSN Antelopes
Game 3: Aoshen 84-65 Bank of Taiwan
Game 2: Aoshen 97-83 Taiwan Beer
Game 1: Aoshen 104-59 Sina Lions