Tien Lei’s clutch three-pointer, which bounced around the rim twice before going in, broke a 72-all tie with under 30 seconds remaining in the game to give Taiwan a 75-72 lead as the hosts rallied from as many as nine down in the fourth quarter to baffle South Korea 77-72 at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium in Tianmu last night to close out the William Jones Cup with 5-3 record.
“All the credit should go to the coaches for encouraging me to keep shooting the ball, even though some weren’t dropping for me,” Tien said after the game.
The Dacin Tigers forward, who had not played as well as he could have prior to last night’s tournament finale, finally rose to the occasion by erupting for three three’s in the game-turning fourth on a 22-point night to rally the home squad past the South Koreans for a four-place finish in this year’s play.
Photo courtesy of the CTBA.
As expected, the visitors came out firing in the opening frame with 27 points to take a double-digit lead after one quarter of play.
However, that did not rattle the Taiwanese as they held South Korea to nine points in the second quarter, while downing 15 to keep it a five-point game (36-31) at the half.
The deficit remained at five after the third with South Korea relying on its three-point attack with four threes in the quarter to counter Taiwan’s superior play inside the paint.
The visitors upped their lead to nine early in the fourth, with foreign help Juan Patillo connecting for six quick points, only to spark an all-out comeback by Taiwan who looked to Tien and fellow forward Lin “the Beast” Chih-jeh with 18 combined points to garner the thrilling victory.
In other Jones Cup play, it was:
‧ Iran 87, Jordan 74
‧ Japan 89, Lebanon 70
‧ Philippines 76, US 75
Final standings:
1. The Philippines
2. Iran
3. United States
4. Taiwan
5. South Korea
6. Japan
7. Lebanon
8. Jordan
9. Taiwan Guan-hua
Two people died on Thursday after fans and police clashed outside the Estadio Monumental in Santiago ahead of a game in South America’s Copa Libertadores, Chilean authorities said. The fatalities happened shortly before the match between Chile’s Colo-Colo and Brazilian club Fortaleza, when police blocked about 100 fans when they attempted to enter the stadium. There were conflicting accounts of how the fatalities occurred, with local media reporting that one of the dead was a 13-year-old boy. The other victim was an 18-year-old woman, according to a relative at the hospital where she was treated. The fans died after being caught underneath a
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
RSS