“Sloppy” is the best word to describe Tuesday’s contest between the top two teams in the annual University Basketball Association (UBA) tournament, which moved to Hsing Wu College in Linkou, Taipei County, for the next four days.
Fu Jen Catholic University took Mingdao University to school with a 61-56 win by nailing four free throws late in the game after Mingdao had scored seven straight to come within a point of winning. Mingdao suffered their second straight defeat in the tournament.
The match set a new tournament record for total combined scoring of 117, with 58 turnovers committed.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
“We simply played horribly,” Mingdao skipper Chia Fan said in disgust after the game and left without attending the scheduled post-game press conference.
Chia’s team showed signs of inexperience with a mostly sophomore crew as they wasted a golden opportunity to turn the game around. With less than a minute remaining, they failed to convert on back-to-back shot attempts from close range, forcing them to foul Fu Jen, which hit all four of its free throws to preserve the win.
Fu Jen head man Liu Jung-yeh was equally upset with his players letting up their efforts in the final minutes to nearly give the game away at the end.
With wins over the defending champs, National Taiwan Normal University, and last year’s runners-up, Chinese Culture University, under its belt, Fu Jen is unlikely to meet much resistance in the remaining five first-round contests. National Taiwan University of the Arts is the lone opponent capable of posing a serious threat to Fu Jen’s hopes of earning a first-seed berth in the Final Eight in February.
DONGHWA 113, HSING WU 102
National Donghwa University played its best game of the tournament thus far against a Hsing Wu College lineup that had the home crowd behind it to clinch an upset win on Tuesday evening.
An injury to Hsing Wu’s top scorer, Wang Hao-chi, late in the first half proved costly for the home squad as it squandered a 12-point halftime lead and allowed Donghwa to tally 38 points in the third quarter en route to their improbable victory.
Cheng Hao-hsuan’s all-round game was undoubtedly the main reason for Donghwa’s triumph as he nailed five threes on a 21-point night to go along with his seven assists and a half-dozen rebounds and steals.
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