BASKETBALL
Taiwan B team beats Aussies
Taiwan’s men’s B team yesterday beat Australia’s BSBL Guardians 90-78 at the William Jones Cup in New Taipei City, while the Philippines’ Strong Group-Pilipinas, led by the Formosa Dreamers’ Chris McCullough, dominated Malaysia for their fourth win. Trailing in the first half, Taiwan surged to a 12-point lead in the third, which gave them enough of a cushion to win despite both teams scoring 19 points in the fourth. The Taipei Fubon Braves’ recent draft pick Mouhamed Mbaye put 31 points on the board, with nine rebounds and eight assists, for the B team to break even at 2-2 in the tournament, while handing Australia their fifth loss. Lin Yan-ting scored 10 points, with seven rebounds and six assists, while Yu Ai-che grabbed six rebounds with four assists. The Brisbane Capitals’ Dhieu Magier led BSBL in scoring with 32 points. The Philippines’ 89-54 drubbing of Malaysia put them even with Taiwan’s A team, who are also undefeated with four wins. McCullough, a power forward from New York who plays for the P.League+’s Dreamers, scored 16 points for the Philippines, with an assist and three rebounds, while Rhenz Abando of the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters grabbed 10 rebounds, along with 14 points and three assists. For Malaysia, American John Wesley Murry II scored nearly half their points, putting 25 on the board, with seven rebounds and three assists. In yesterday’s early game, the United Arab Emirates beat the US’ Future Sports 77-63 for their first win in five games, putting them even with Future in the rankings with four days remaining. Meanwhile, Ukraine picked up their second win of the tournament, with a 63-47 victory over Japan, who fell to 3-2 in the tournament.
SOCCER
FIFA to probe racist chants
FIFA yesterday said it was opening an investigation into racist chants by Argentina players after they won the Copa America. “FIFA is aware of a video circulating on social media and the incident is being looked into,” a FIFA spokesperson said. The chants were heard during a live video posted on social media by Chelsea and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from the team bus in the wake of the Copa victory over Colombia in Miami on Sunday. Some players, including 23-year-old Fernandez, sang a chant dating back to the 2022 FIFA World Cup final in which Argentina beat France. The song targets France’s star striker Kylian Mbappe among others and includes racist and homophobic insults. Fernandez has apologized and Chelsea said in a statement it had launched an “internal disciplinary procedure.”
SOCCER
Gareth Southgate resigns
Gareth Southgate on Tuesday resigned from his role as England manager after yet another heartbreaking final loss at the UEFA Euro 2024, their second straight failure in the title decider of the continental tournament. After eight years, four major tournaments and two finals, Southgate said it was “time for change.” Sunday’s 2-1 loss to Spain proved to be his last game in charge of the national team. “As a proud Englishman, it has been the honor of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all,” he said. “But it’s time for change, and for a new chapter.”
Hong Kong-based cricket team Hung See this weekend found success in their matches in Taiwan, even if none of the results went their way. Hung See played the Chairman’s XI on Saturday morning, the Daredevils that afternoon and PCCT yesterday, with all three home teams winning. The team for Chinese players at the Happy Valley-based Craigengower Cricket Club sends teams on tour to “spread the game of cricket.” This weekend was Hung See’s second trip to Taiwan after visiting Tainan in 2016. “The club has been traveling to all parts of the world since 1982 and the annual tradition continues [with the Taiwan
Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday advanced to the semi-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Coco Gauff’s dreams of a first women’s singles title in Melbourne were crushed in the quarter-finals by Paula Badosa. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev was ruffled by a stray feather in his men’s singles quarter-final, but he refocused to beat 12th seed Tommy Paul and reach the semi-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia defeated Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania and Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine 6-2, 5-7, 7-5 in 2 hours, 20 minutes to advance the semi-finals. Hsieh and Ostapenko converted eight of 14 break
The San Francisco Giants signed 18-year-old Taiwanese pitcher Yang Nien-hsi (陽念希) to a contract worth a total of US$500,000 (NT $16.39 million). At a press event in Taipei on Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Giants’ Pacific Rim Area scout Evan Hsueh (薛奕煌) presented Yang with a Giants jersey to celebrate the signing. The deal consisted of a contract worth US$450,000 plus a US$50,000 scholarship bonus. Yang, who stands at 188 centimeters tall and weighs 85 kilograms, is of Indigenous Amis descent. With his fastest pitch clocking in at 150 kilometers per hour, Yang had been on Hsueh’s radar since playing in the HuaNan Cup
HARD TO SAY GOODBYE: After Coco Gauff dispatched Belinda Bencic in the fourth round, she wrote ‘RIP TikTok USA’ and drew a broken heart on a television camera lens Defending champion Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan yesterday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while compatriot Chan Hao-ching on Saturday dominated her opponents in the second round, as world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka swept into the quarter-finals. Third seeds Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia toppled Hungary’s Timea Babos and Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the US 6-4, 6-3, hitting 24 winners and converting three of seven break points in 1 hour, 18 minutes at 1573 Arena. Although rivals at last year’s Australian Open — where Hsieh and Belgium’s Elise Mertens beat Ostapenko and Ukraine’s Lyudmyla Kichenok 6-1, 7-5
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