Taiwan’s men’s national basketball A team last night held off Qatar 88-74 in a neck-and-neck game to record their third victory in the William Jones Cup in Taipei
While Taiwan edged Qatar 19-16 in the first quarter, their opponents equaled them in putting up 22 points in the second, to head into halftime 41-38.
The tit-for-tat play continued into the third, with Taiwan seemingly being matched for every point.
Photo: CNA
However, with Mohammad al-Bachir Gadiaga putting up 11 points in the quarter, Taiwan ended the quarter 71-60. Lee Chi-wei put up four points in the fourth quarter, for Taiwan to overpower their opponents 88-74. Lin Ting-chien had 21 points.
The win leaves them tied atop the board with the US.
On Sunday, Taiwan’s A and B teams overpowered Japan 86-68 and the Philippines 89-79 respectively to each secure their second consecutive victories.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s B team used precision long-range shots to secure their win over the Philippines, represented by the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters of the Philippine Basketball Association.
The home squad, consisting of promising young talent, shot 40 percent from the three-point line with a combined 12 three-pointers, compared with 6-28 or just 21 percent from their opponents.
Taiwan established a 16-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
Although the Philippines cut the deficit to eight points in the fourth quarter with more physical play, they were unable to narrow the gap.
Taiwanese-American Adam Hinton scored a game-high 17 points with 3 of 7 from the three-point line, while Senegalese forward and center Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Sarr, who has said he plans to seek Taiwanese citizenship to be able to play for the national team, grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.
In Sunday’s other game, Gadiaga of the Taiwan A team, comprising the main roster of the national team, led with 31 points and four assists in their victory over Japan.
On Saturday, the opening day of the tournament, the Taiwan A team defeated the Philippines 98-79, while the B team overpowered Japan 85-59 at Taipei Heping Gymnasium.
In other action yesterday, the US dominated Japan 108-47, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) topped the Philippines 73-71. On Sunday, Iran beat Qatar 69-63 and the US crushed the UAE 109-49. while on Saturday, South Korea defeated the UAE 100-84 and the US devastated Qatar 105-38.
The annual William Jones Cup international basketball invitational tournament hosted by Taiwan returned this year after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Launched in Taiwan in 1977, the tournament is named after British basketball promoter Renato William Jones, the first secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation (FIBA), the sport’s world governing body, a post he held for 44 years from 1932.
The Philippines’ Mighty Sports won the title in 2019, the last time the tournament was held. The US have won the most William Jones Cup titles, with 15 victories. Taiwan last won in 2004.
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