Consensus reached in local players draft

Local media reported that SBL teams have reached a consensus to hold the first ever SBL local players draft after this season.

The local players draft will be a major breakthrough for the management of the four-year league in establishing a system and keeping a fair competition, said SBL Committee chairman Yen Jia-hua, who also serves as Taiwan Beer head coach.

Team representatives reached consensus in four major regulations:

1. Any player who has been registered in the SBL is a free agent can can be signed by any team.
2. Players eligible for the draft have to be high school graduates or at least 18 years of age.
3. Players interested in entering the draft are required to submit their applications before the draft. All teams are not allowed to sign rookie players who are not selected in the draft.
4. The first SBL local players draft will take place in June 2007.

The 2007-08 SBL season will begin November 30 with a seires of exhibition games, Yen said.

SBL Week 13 MVP: Lin Chih-jay

(TB forward Lin Chih-jay, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

Taiwan Beer forward Lin Chih-jay was named SBL Week 13 MVP Tuesday after leading the Beermen to two crucial come-from-behind wins last week. He averaged 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists for the week.

Lin, who won the weekly honor for the second time, edged ETSN center/forward Delvin Thomas by one point, 16-15, in the media voting. Thomas almost became the first player to win three consecutive weekly MVPs.

SBL Weekly MVP:
Week 13: Lin Chih-jay(TB)
Week 12: Delvin Thomas(ETSN)
Week 11: Delvin Thomas(ETSN)
Week 10: Chien Jia-hong(Azio)
Week 9: Wang Chih-chun(Dacin)
Week 8: Chang Chih-feng(Dacin)
Week 7: Wang Chih-chun(Dacin)
Week 6: Shin Jin-jan(ETSN)
Week 5: Yang Yu-min(ETSN)
Week 4: Chen Hsin-an(Yulon)
Week 3: Lo Shin-liang(TB)
Week 2: Jonathan Sanders(VL)
Week 1: Lin Chih-jay(TB)

SBL stats leaders (thru April 24)

Scoring:
1. Tien Lei(Dacin) 26.2
2. Jonathan Sanders(VL) 22.8
3. Lin Chih-jay(TB) 21.4
4. Chien Jia-hong(Azio) 19.8
5. Ho Sho-jen(TB) 19.5

Rebounding:
1. Jonathan Sanders(VL) 16.0
2. Tien Lei(Dacin) 10.9
3. Delvin Thomas(ETSN) 9.7
4. Chien Jia-hong(Azio) 7.8
5. Lin Chih-jay(TB) 7.7

Assists:
1. Su Yi-chieh(Dacin) 5.6
2. Lee Hsueh-lin(Yulon) 5.0
3. Chen Shih-nian(TB) 4.6
4. Chou Jun-san(TB) 4.3
5. Lin Chih-jay(TB) 3.7

Blocked Shots:
1. Tsun Wen-din(Yulon) 2.19
2. Delvin Thomas(ETSN) 1.96
3. Tien Lei(Dacin) 1.37
4. Yua Ying-li(BOT) 1.36
5. Wu Dai-hao(ETSN) 1.30

Steals:
1. Wang Chih-chun(Dacin) 2.00
2. Lee Wei-min(VL) 1.76
3. Chou Shih-yuan(Yulon) 1.76
4. Lee Hsueh-lin(Yulon) 1.70
5. Yang Yu-min(ETSN) 1.61

ETSN, Dacin clash inevitable

(VL forward Jonathan Sanders had 30 points and 24 rebounds, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

ETSN beat Azio and Dacin lost to Taiwan Beer Sunday as the Antelopes (15-13) pulled within 1/2 game behind the Tigers (15-12) in the two-team race to the final playoff seed with one week to go in the SBL regular season.

The SBL regular season will have a bye week, however, before ETSN meets Dacin in the decisive game on May 4. The league failed to find a venue to house the games next week.

ETSN and Dacin tied at 2-2 in the previous meetings, which makes the May 4 game more crucial because it will determine the seed if two teams finish with the same won-loss record.

ETSN almost let its playoff hope slip away when Azio finally pulled ahead 77-75 with 2:36 remaining. Wu Jia-long's three and Yang Yu-min's fastbreak layup put the Antelopes ahead 80-75 with 50.9 seconds to go before Azio pulled within two again on Chen Shi-jay's two free-throws.

After a timeout, ESTN went to Delvin Thomas, who scored the winner on a power layup and help ETSN regained a comfortable three-point lead, 82-79.

Taiwan Beer, which trailed for most of the game, rallied for the win over Dacin with a 23-12 fourth quarter, including two 8-0 runs.

In the first game of the day, Jonathan Sanders had 30 points and 24 rebounds as Videoland (20-9) overcame a 14-point deficit and beat Bank of Taiwan 91-81. VL, which had a momentum-changing 17-2 run in the third quarter, became the first team to reach 20 wins for the season and climbed to No.1 again.

Sanders, who was among the regular season MVP candidates, had six highlight-reel dunks in the game. BOT lost its 16th consecutive game.

More than 9,000 fans packed the Miaoli Dome Sunday. It probably registered the highest attendence in a basketball game in Taiwan in recent memories.


(SBL regular season games in Miaoli Dome, Miaoli City)

VL 91-81 BOT
VL: J. Sanders 30p(14-23 FG)+24rb(13 ORB), Wu Yong-jen 16p+6a, Lee Wei-min 11p
BOT: Chien Ming-fu 20p+6rb+5a, Yang Chin-min 15p+6rb, Hsu CHi-chan 18p+9rb, Yua Ying-li 10p+3blk

ETSN 84-79 Azio
ETSN: Wu Dai-hao 18p+9rb+5blk, D. Thomas 11p+4rb, O-Yang Jin-hen 19p, Yang Yu-min 17p
Azio: Chien Jia-hong 18p+11rb, Wu Jian-long 17p

TB 76-70 Dacin
TB: Lin Chih-jay 18p, Lo Shin-liang 12p, Liin Kwan-lun 10p, Chen Shih-nian 10p+5a
Dacin: Tien Lei 23p+13rb+6a, Wang Chih-chun 15p+7rb

Fight of last playoff seed intense between Dacin, ETSN

(ETSN forward O-Yang Jin-hen, left, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

With only two weeks left in the regular season and three playoff seeds determined, the fight for the last playoff seed is expected to go down to the wire. Dacin Tigers and ETSN Antelopes both pulled out surprising wins against top-ranking teams Saturday night to keep the race tight as Dacin currently having a 1 1/2 game lead.

Dacin made 14 three-pointers en route to a 93-73 thump over Videoland Hunters, while ETSN led from start to finish and routed Yulon 85-64.

Azio Eagles proved it is becoming a formidable and competitive team, beating Bank of Taiwan 96-87 for its fifth win of the season, which is quite an accomplishment for a team that only had six wins in the past two season.

BOT dropped to league worst 4-23 and trailed Azio by a half game after its SBL-record 15th (and counting...) consecutive loss.

Azio 96-87 BOT
Azio: Chen Shi-jay 27p(13-13 FT)+7rb, Chien Jia-hong 13p+8rb, Wu Jian-long 13p+9rb, Chang Yu-lin 12p, James Mao 11p
BOT: Yang Chin-min 19p, Chen Shun-hsiang 17p, Hsu Chi-chan 13p+8rb, Chien Ming-fu 12p

Dacin 93-73 VL
Dacin: Tien Lei 22p+12rb+6a, Chang Chi-feng 20p+7rb, Wang Chih-chun 11p
VL: Lee Chi-yi 16p+6rb, Jonathan Sanders 14p+8rb, Wu Yong-jen 12p

ETSN 85-64 Yulon
ETSN: O-Yang Jin-hen 20p, Wu Dai-hao 18p(9-14 FG)+7rb, Delvin Thomas 14p+5rb
Yulon: Tsun Wen-din 20p, CHou Shih-yuan 12p, Lu Cheng-ju 10p, Wu Chih-wei 10p

TB clinched playoff seed

(TB forward Lin Chih-jay, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

Taiwan Beer made 10 of 12 free-throws in the extra session as the Beermen edged ETSN 91-88 in overtime Friday night in Miaoli City and became the third team clinching a SBL playoff seed, following Videoland and Yulon.

ETSN C/F Delvin Thomas had a season-high 36 points to go with 14 rebounds. Wu Dai-hao fouled out of the game in 34 minutes, scoring only 8 points. Wu has been having trouble adjusting to the officiating in Taiwan after returning from the U.S., where he played for Div-II BYU-Hawaii for two years.

Yulon beat Azio 104-95 to tie Videoland at 19-7. The bad news is starting point guard Lee Hsueh-lin, who had a shoulder injury in the game vs. Dacin April 15, will have to sit out four weeks.

TB 91-88(OT) ETSN
TB: Lin Chih-jay 29p, Shan Wei-fan 21p, Chen Shih-nian 18p+6rb+7a, Wu Chih-yuan 13p+8rb, Lo Shin-liang 11p+6a
ETSN: Delvin Thomas 36p+14rb, Cheng Jen-wei 14p+6rb, Yang Yu-min 13p+5a, Wu Dai-hao 8p+5a

Yulon 104-95 Azio
Yulon: Tsun Wen-din 18p+11rb, Liu Shen-yao 17p, Chou Shih-yuan 15p, Chen Chih-chun 14p+7rb+4a, Chiu Chi-yi 13p+5a
Azio: Chien Jis-hong 23p+8rb, Chen Shi-jay 21p+7rb+8a, Wu Jian-long 20p+6rb, James Mao 11p+5rb, Chang Yu-lin 11p

CTBA: 10 men's teams in 2007 Jones Cup tournament

There will be 10 men's teams and 8 women's teams in the 2007 William Jones Cup International Tournament, which will be held from July 2 - 17 in Sinjhuang Stadium, Taipei County, (Capacity 7,000) Chinese Taipei Basketball Association (CTBA) announced in a press release Tuesday.

Participating teams in men's competition:
Taiwan
Qatar
Jordan
Lebanon
Iran
Japan
Korea
Kazakhstan
Philippines
USA

Participating teams in women's competition:
Taiwan White Team
Taiwan Blue Team
New Zealand
Australia
Russia
Japan
Korea
USA

Nine of 10 men's teams are expected to use the Jones Cup as a warmup series for the upcoming Asian Championship for Men, which will take place in Tokushima, Japan from July 28 - August 5, CTBA said.

While most of the participating teams are expected to be national teams, the association did not specify which clubs/teams will be playing in the annual tournament -- for example, the teams that will represent the United States.

SBL stats leaders (thru April 18)

Scoring:
1. Tien Lei(Dacin) 26.5
2. Jonathan Sanders(VL) 22.9
3. Lin Chih-jay(TB) 21.3
4. Chien Jia-hong(Azio)20.1
5. Ho Sho-jen(TB)19.5

Rebounding:
1. Jonathan Sanders(VL) 16.0
2. Tien Lei(Dacin) 10.8
3. Delvin Thomas(ETSN) 10.0
4. Lin Chih-jay(TB) 8.0
5. Tsun Wen-din(Yulon) 7.7

Assists:
1. Su Yi-chieh(Dacin) 5.68
2. Lee Hsueh-lin(Yulon) 5.04
3. Chen Shih-nian(TB) 4.54
4. Chou Jun-san(TB) 4.25
5. Lin Chih-jay(TB) 3.85

Blocked Shots:
1. Tsun Wen-din(Yulon) 2.20
2. Delvin Thomas(ETSN) 2.00
3. Tien Lei(Dacin) 1.40
4. Yua Ying-li(BOT) 1.35
5. Jonathan Sanders(VL) 1.27

Steals:
1. Wang Chih-chun(Dacin) 2.00
2. Chou Shih-yuan(Yulon) 1.78
3. Lee Wei-min(VL) 1.74
4. Yang Yu-min(ETSN) 1.72
5. Lee Hsueh-lin(Yulon) 1.70

SBL Week 12 MVP: Delvin Thomas

(Delvin Thomas, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

Delvin Thomas became the first player to win SBL weekly MVP honor in consecutive weeks after winning SBL Week 12 MVP Monday.

Thomas, who had 30 points in the media voting to beat out fellow American Jonathan Sanders's 17, averaged 18.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 2 blocks and 5 steals in two victories last week for ETSN, which is fighting for the last playoff seed.

SBL Weekly MVP:
Week 12: Delvin Thomas(ETSN)
Week 11: Delvin Thomas(ETSN)
Week 10: Chien Jia-hong(Azio)
Week 9: Wang Chih-chun(Dacin)
Week 8: Chang Chih-feng(Dacin)
Week 7: Wang Chih-chun(Dacin)
Week 6: Shin Jin-jan(ETSN)
Week 5: Yang Yu-min(ETSN)
Week 4: Chen Hsin-an(Yulon)
Week 3: Lo Shin-liang(TB)
Week 2: Jonathan Sanders(VL)
Week 1: Lin Chih-jay(TB)

VL on top again, Dacin lost Su Yi-chieh

Videoland Hunters unseat Yulon from its top place in the standing Sunday with its 7th consecutive win, once again climbing to No. 1 after opening the season 7-0. Dacin Tigers managed to keep its No. 4 playoff seed safe for now with one game over ETSN Antelopes after an 103-101 overtime win over Yulon, but it lost starting point guard Su Yi-chieh for the season.

Su Yi-chieh broke his left wrist after a hard landing in late third quarter. He was out for the season and was the latest to join Dacin's injury squad. Starting off guard Wang Chih-chun was also out for a backset of concussion which he suffered late last season.

Dacin, which led 73-59 early in the 4th quarter, almost let the victory slip away. Tien Lei, who had 37 points and 15 rebounds, fouled out before the end of regulation. Dacin was able to prevail thanks to the play of its second unit.

Backup forward Yao Jun-jay scored 23 points. Rookie Chen Ching-wen made two threes while backup PG Yu Yu-lun had all of his four points in the extra session.

Yulon guard Lee Hsueh-lin was also injured and sent to a hospital after being blocked by Tien Lei from behind on a breakaway layup and lost his balance.

Led by Jonathan Sanders' 26 points and 13 rebounds, VL beat Azio 101-94 and tied the team-record 7-game winning streak. Hunters, which is 19-7, took over Yulon's top place with a 1/2 game lead.

ETSN overcame a 10-point deficit with 7 minutes to go with a 23-8 late run and upset BOT 88-83. Delvin Thomas and Wu Dai-hao had 12 points in the rally. BOT kept sliding, dropping its 14th straight game, although it has been playing better in the last two weeks.

Current SBL Standings:

1. Videoland Hunters 19-7
2. Yulon Dinos 18-7
3. Taiwan Beer 17-9
4. Dacin Tigers 14-11
5. ETSN Antelopes 13-12
6. Azio Eagles 4-21
7. Bank of Taiwan 4-22

ETSN 88-83 BOT
ETSN: D. Thomas 24p, O-Yang Jin-hen 18p, Wu Dai-hao 13p
BOT: Hsu Chi-chan 23p, Yang Chin-min 22p, Chang Jun-hsuan 12p

VL 101-94 Azio
VL: J. Sanders 26p+13rb, Lee Chi-yi 18p+10rb, Yang Che-yi 17p, Wu Yong-jen 13p+6a
Azio: Chen Shi-jay 31p+7rb+6a, Hong Chih-shan 17p, Kao Li-min 12p

Dacin 103-101(OT) Yulon
Dacin: Tien Lei 37p+15rb, Yao Jun-jay 23p, Chang Chi-feng 14p
Yulon: Chou Shih-yuan 28p, Tsun Wen-din 22p+17rb, Chen Chih-chun 17p, Lu Cheng-ju 12p

Dinos, Hunters claim playoff berths

Yulon Dinos manhandled Bank of Taiwan 87-77 and Videoland Hunters upset Taiwan Beer 86-81 Saturday as both teams claimed playoff berths. At the same time, BOT pushed its team-worse losing streak to 13 games.

Seldom-used guard Hong Chi-chao had a season-high 24 points, making 6-of-8 three-pointers, and helped Videoland in the momentum-changing third quarter with his 13 points. Videoland overcame a 10-point halftime deficit with a 53-38 second half, limiting TB to two points in the last two minutes.

Videoland and Taiwan Beer, which will likely meet in the first round playoff, met for the last time in the regular season and closed out the series with four wins and one loss.

VL, which is 18-7 and ranked No.2 in the standing, has won six straight and opened a 1 1/2 game lead over third-place TB (17-9), which was in a 2-3 slump in its last five games.

ETSN 85-78 Azio
ETSN: Delvin Thomas 13p+14rb, Wu Dai-hao 15p+8rb
Azio: Chien Jia-hong 17p, James Mao 16p, Hong Chih-shan 15p

Yulon 87-77 BOT
Yulon: TsunWen-din 20p+7rb+5blk, Chen Chih-chun 17p, Lee Hsueh-lin 11p+7a
BOT: Hsu Chi-chan 18p, Ju Yong-hong 17p, Yang Chin-min 11p

VL 86-81 TB
VL: Hong Chi-chao 24p, Jonathan Sanders 28p+19rb, Lai Kuo-hong 12p
TB: Lo Shin-liang 17p, Ho Sho-jen 17p, Lin Chih-jay 14p

Team-record 12-game losing streak for BOT

Bank of Taiwan (4-20) was robbed again, this time losing 87-86 to Taiwan Beer and dropping its 12th game in a row -- the longest losing streak in team history. TB forward Lin Chih-jay made two game-clinching free-throws with 12 seconds left.

Dacin lost to Videoland and had its second three-game losing strak of the season. VL import Jonathan Sanders had 25 points and 22 rebounds, his sixth 20-20 game of the season. Dacin shot only 8-of-33 from the three-point land and was outrebounded 47-28.

TB 87-86 BOT
TB: Lin Chih-jay 26p, Ho Sho-jen 19p, Lo Shin-liang 11p
BOT: Yang Chin-min 20p, Yua Ying-li 22p, Chien Ming-fu 11p, Hsu Chi-chan 11p

VL 93-78 Dacin
VL: J. Sanders 25p+22rb, Wu Yong-jen 13p, Lee Chi-yi 15p, Yang Che-yi 13p
Dacin: Tien Lei 28p

SBL Week 11 MVP: Delvin Thomas

(Delvin Thomas, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

ETSN forward Delvin Thomas was named SBL Week 11 MVP after leading his team to a 2-1 week and averaging 20 points, 12.3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 blocks in three games.

Thomas received 22 points in the media voting. VL forward Jonathan Sanders was second with 16 points while Yulon forward Lu Cheng-ju was third with 10 points.

SBL Weekly MVP:
Week 11: Delvin Thomas(ETSN)
Week 10: Chien Jia-hong(Azio)
Week 9: Wang Chih-chun(Dacin)
Week 8: Chang Chih-feng(Dacin)
Week 7: Wang Chih-chun(Dacin)
Week 6: Shin Jin-jan(ETSN)
Week 5: Yang Yu-min(ETSN)
Week 4: Chen Hsin-an(Yulon)
Week 3: Lo Shin-liang(TB)
Week 2: Jonathan Sanders(VL)
Week 1: Lin Chih-jay(TB)

Lu Cheng-ju's three saves the day for Yulon

Lu Cheng-ju scored all of his 8 points in the 4th quarter, including a go-ahead three-pointer with 0.6 second remaining, as Yulon (17-6) overcame a 15-point deficit and beat Taiwan Beer 73-71 Sunday.

Lu, who replaced injured Chen Hsin-an as the starting small forward, and Tsun Wen-din, who played all 40 minutes as turned in 24 points and 16 boards, helped ignite a game-changing 13-1 run in the final quarter.

SBL leading scorer Lin Chih-jay had an off night, scoring only 5 points on 2-of-10 shooting and missed two free-throws with 26.6 seconds left. The misses hurt TB (16-8), which dropped to No. 3 in the standing after the devastating loss.

Yulon stayed on top of the standing while Videoland rose to No. 2 with 16 wins and 7 losses, 1/2 game ahead of TB.

BOT lost to ETSN 103-83 and extended its losing streak to 11 games.

Yulon 73-71 TB
Yulon: Tsun Wen-din 24p+16rb, Chen Chih-chun 19p, Chou Shih-yuan 11p
TB: Lo Shin-liang 17p, Chen Shih-nian 15p, Ha Hsiao-yuan 14p, Lin Chih-jay 5p(2-10 FG)+10rb

VL 89-76 Azio
VL: Lee Chi-yi 24p+8rb, Yang Che-yi 21p, Jonathan Sanders 15p+20rb, Lee Wei-min 14p
Azio: Chien Jia-hong 17p, Zuo Tsun-kai 15p, James Mao 14p+9rb, Chen Shi-jay 11p+10rb+8a

ETSN 103-83 BOT
ETSN: Delvin Thomas 30p+12rb+4blk, O-Yang Jin-hen 20p, Wu Jia-long 15p
BOT: Yang Chin-min 26p, Hsu Chi-chan 18p

BOT lost 10 straight, tied Azio for last place

(SBL regular season games are moved to Sinjhuang Stadium, Taipei County, photo credit: Apple Daily Taiwan)

They tried, but there were nothing BOT players could do from stopping them from the 10th straight defeat. BOT lost to Videoland 82-64 Saturday, tying Azio Eagles for last place in the league with a 4-18 record.

By losing 10 straight, BOT also matched Azio's longest losing streak of the season.

In the other game, league leading scorer Lin Chi-jay had 6 of his game-high 25 points in a crucial run that increased TB's lead to double-digit as Taiwan Beer secured a hard-fought victory over Dacin Tigers 81-71.

Yulon 83-66 ETSN
Yulon: Chen Hsin-an 23p+8rb, Chou Shih-yuan 18p, Lu Cheng-ju 14p
ETSN: Cheng Jen-wei 16p, O-Yang Jin-hen 12p, Wu Dai-hao 8p,Delvin Thomas 9p

VL 82-64 BOT
VL: Jonathan Sanders 21p+16rb, Lee Chi-yi 17p+7rb+5a, Yang Che-yi 13p
BOT: Yang Chin-min 17p, HsuChi-chan 12p, Chien Ming-fu 11p

TB 81-71 Dacin
TB: Lin Chih-jay 25p+11rb+5a, Ho Sho-jen 23p, Lo Shin-liang 10p+11rb, SHan Wei-fan 14p+7rb
Dacin: Wang Chih-chun 19p, Tien Lei17p+13rb, Chang Chi-feng 15p

New NT coach: our goal will be top four in Asia

(Chung Kwang Suk, photo credit: Apple Daily Taiwan)

Taiwan NT's goal in the Asian Championship this year will be returning to the top four in Asia, said new Taiwan NT head coach Chung Kwang Suk Friday in Taipei.

"Players will not be motivated unless you set a high goal," said Chung on the sideline of the SBL games. And he also envisioned a Taiwan NT with "strong defense and quick transition" under his tutelage, although he only has less than two months to achieve the transformation.

As the Asian Championship coming in late July and the SBL season won't conclude until May or early June, Chung realized that he wouldn't have enough time to make the team "his team." That's why he wants to start with defense.

The veteran Korean coach who arrived in Taiwan on April 3 will be the first foreign NT head coach for Taiwanese basketball programs on any level since 2000. He will submit his NT roster after the SBL season.

Chung, who led Korea to the 1997 Asian Championship title and a 1998 World Championship berth, also coached a Taiwan Junior NT that included top players like Tsun Wen-din, Tien Lei, Lin Chih-jay, Wu Dai-hao and Ho Sho-jen to a third-place finish in the 2000 Asian Junior Championship.

Chung also briefly coached Dacin Tigers in the final season of the defunct CBA(Chinese Basketball Alliance) in 1998-99 and finished with a 8-14 record. Later he went back to Korea and coached the University of Korea.

Those players he has coached in 2000 have all seen much improvement offensively, but their defense really needs a lot of work, Chung observed courtside.

Taiwan NT's best finish in major Asian tournaments since 2001 is 7th-place, which is a very disappointing result considering the popularity of the game in Taiwan and the the talents of Taiwan national team program.

Taiwan NT in major Asian tournaments since 2001:
2006 Asian Games: 8th
2005 Asian Championship: 9th
2003 Asian Championship: 11th
2002 Asian Games: 7th
2001 Asian Championship: 7th

Wu, Thomas lead ETSN past Dacin

Wu Dai-hao and Delvin Thomas combined for 43 points and 25 rebounds on 21-of-32 shooting and helped ETSN rout Dacin 82-64 Friday. ETSN's strong defense limited Dacin to 25 points in the second half.

Azio overcame a 16-point deficit and handed Bank of Taiwan its 9th straight defeat in overtime, 104-99, in the other game. Azio won for the fourth time this season, surpassing its record in the last two years when it finished 3-27 in both seasons.

SBL regular season, which was suspended for two weeks to make way for the university league playoffs, resumed Friday in Sinjhuang Stadium, Taipei County, marking the first time the SBL hosts games outside of Taipei City.

ETSN 82-64 Dacin
ETSN: Wu Dai-hao 22p(11-17 FG)+9rb+4a, Delvin Thomas 21p(10-15 FG)+16rb, Yang Yu-min 19p+6rb+6a, Wu Jia-long 10p+7rb
Dacin: Tien Lei 23p+8rb, Chang Chi-feng 23p

Azio 104-99(OT) BOT
Azio: Chen Shi-jay 23p+8rb+5a, Chien Jia-hong 21p, Huang Chi-feng 17p, Tsai Wen-cheng 15p+16rb
BOT: Chen Shun-hsiang 25p, Yang Chin-min 25p+9rb+4a, Lin Chih-long 13p+10rb

TPEC wins 12th straight university league men's title

Taipei Physical Education College (TPEC) beat Fu Jen University 81-68 in the title game en route to its 12th straight UBA (University Basketball Association) men's title and extended its winning streak to 146 games. Still, no one was surprised.

Because TPEC was supposed to win with half of its roster being national team players, including the likes of Chen Hsin-an, Lee Chi-yi, Chen Shih-nian, Tsun Wen-din, among others. Even its head coach, Lee Yun-kwang, was a former NT head coach.

Which means TPEC is virtually an All-Star Team compared to other schools that only have one or two NT/SBL players on their rosters at best. And the school could cruise through the preliminary and second round before concentrating on the semifinal playoffs.

However, expect a change of scenery next season. As FISU (International University Sports Federation) and World University Games changed the age limit from 28 years-old down to 24 and the UBA followed suit, half of TPEC players will be inelgible to play next year.

National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) beat Chinese Culture University (CCU) 53-44 with a closing 16-0 run in an ugly game and finished for third-place for the second consecutive year.

NTNU also boasts a strong roster with top NT/SBL players Tien Lei, Wang Chih-chun, Chien Jia-hong and Su Yi-chieh but didn't live up to its expectation once again. Tien Lei and Lee Fong-yong did not play in the third-place game due to illness.

Tien Lei named SBL March MVP

(Tien Lei wins SBL March MVP, photo courtesy of ESPN Taiwan)

Three-time SBL regular season MVP Tien Lei was named SBL March MVP Monday after leading Dacin Tigers to a 6-1 record in March and averaging 25.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 blocks in seven games.

SBL regular season, which was suspended for two weeks to make way for the university league playoffs, will resume April 6 in Sinjhuang Stadium, Taipei County. It will be the first time the SBL hosts games outside of Taipei City.

More regular season games will be played in Miaoli, a mid-Taiwan city, and the southern city of Tainan in April and May.

Monthly MVP:
March: Tien Lei(Dacin)
February: Lee Hsueh-lin(Yulon)
January: Jonathan Sanders(VL)

SBL Stats leaders (thru. April 2)

Scoring:
1. Lin Chih-jay (TB) 25.6
2. Tien Lei (Dacin) 25.3
3. Jonathan Sanders (VL) 24.0
4. Chien Jia-hong (Azio) 21.9
5. Chang Chi-feng (Dacin) 21.2

Rebounding:
1. Jonathan Sanders (VL) 13.4
2. Tien Lei (Dacin) 11.4
3. Delvin Thomas (ETSN) 11.3
4. Lin Chih-jay (TB) 8.9
5. Chien Jia-hong (Azio) 8.0

Assists:
1. Su Yi-chieh (Dacin) 6.57
2. Chen Shih-nian (TB) 5.71
3. Chou Jun-san (TB) 4.50
4. Lee Hsueh-lin (Yulon) 4.14
5. Chien Ming-fu (BOT) 3.86
5. Wang Chih-chun (Dacin) 3.86

Blocks:
1. Jonathan Sanders (VL) 1.86
2. Delvin Thomas (ETSN) 1.83
3. Tsun Wen-din (Yulon) 1.71
4. Wu Dai-hao (ETSN) 1.50
4. Chou Ben-tang (BOT) 1.50

Steals:
1. Delvin Thomas (ETSN) 2.17
2. Lee Wei-min (VL) 2.14
2. Lee Chi-yi (VL) 2.14
4. Wang Chih-chun (Dacin) 1.86
5. Yua Ying-li (BOT) 1.71
5. Chen Shi-jay (Azio) 1.71