Inability to convert from the free throw line nearly cost Taiwan the game in the opener of the Jones Cup against South Korea on Thursday night, but the hosts managed to hold on to beat their arch-rivals 72-68 to start the nine-day tournament with a bang.
Yang Jing-min (Taiwan Beer) made sure the crowd at the Taipei County Sinjhuang Gymnasium would not go home disappointed by pouring in eleven of his team-high 22 points in the final quarter to fend off an all-out South Korean rally that overcame first-half deficits as large as 13 points to give Taiwan a big scare.
“We definitely let up a bit during the second half and allowed them [South Korea] back into the game, but I’m glad the shots I took went in when it counted most at the end,” an out-of-breath Yang said after the game.
PHOTO: LUO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
He shifted from a defensive-oriented position in the first half to a more aggressive mind-set in the second by attacking the hoop with several strong drives to help his team pull off their opening-day victory.
Also contributing in a big way were Ou-yang Jin-hen (dmedia Numen) and Hsu Chih-chiang (Bank of Taiwan), both of whom were representing their country for the first time, as they netted 11 points each to account for almost a third of Taiwan’s total points.
Taiwan jumped to an early 24-18 lead after the opening quarter and led by as many as 13 during the second quarter, before settling for a 10-point (39-29) cushion at halftime.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TE, TAIPEI TIMES
But the resilient South Koreans, led by sharpshooter Heo Li-young’s game-high 26 points, would fight back with a solid second half to erase the deficit. They actually led briefly 60-56 early in the fourth quarter, before succumbing to the hosts.
Winning the battle off the glass with a decisive 38-29 rebounding edge, Taiwan overcame a size disadvantage inside the paint by boxing out their taller opponents.
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