Print

Mail

wiki links

Taiwan kick off Asian Championships with a win

The 2007 International Amateur Basketball Federation (FIBA) Asian Championship started in Tokushima, Japan, yesterday with Taiwan topping Syria 99-60 in the all-important opener.

The biennial tournament, that drew 16 teams from around Asia this year to compete for the right to represent the continent in the Beijing Summer Olympics in August next year, saw the best and the brightest of the Super Basketball League overcome a slow first half in which they trailed Syria by a deuce (35-37) by dominating the fourth quarter to run away with the blowout victory.

Led by Yang Tseh-yi's (Videoland Hunters) red-hot 13-for-19 shooting, including four from behind the three-point arc, for a team-high 30 points, Team Taiwan won the game that it had to win in the three-game preliminaries that consist of South Korea, Syria and Hong Kong. The top two finishers will earn the right to advance into the second round on July 31st.

Four other Taiwanese players scored in double digits in the game, with Chen "Airman" Hsin-an (Yulon Dinos) chipping in 20 points, followed by Lin "the Beast" Chih-jeh's (Taiwan Beer) 18, Lee Hsueh-lin's (Dinos) 12, and Wu Dai-hao's (ETTV Antelopes) 10.

Taking on the bulk of the scoring burden for Syria was Michael Madanly George, whose game-high 37 points were the lone highlight for Syria, which was missing two of its top five starters for their opening game.

Team Taiwan will take on South Korea in a marquis match in Group D this afternoon, where the winner will go undefeated before tomorrow's match versus a weaker squad from Hong Kong.

The 16 teams are divided into four groups this year, with the top two finishers in each group after the round-robin first round advancing into the second round, while the third and fourth finishers from each group play for the 9th through 16th place finishes.

The grouping for this year's competition is as follows: Group A consists of China, Iran, Jordan and the Philippines; Group B is Japan, Lebanon, Kuwait and the United Arabic Emirates; Group C has India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan and Qatar; and Group D contains Hong Kong, South Korea, Syria and Taiwan.

Other results from the FIBA Asian Basketball Championships yesterday:

* Qatar 106, India 49

* Kazakhstan 107, Indonesia 53

* China 65, Jordan 78

* South Korea 107, Hong Kong 67

* UAE 66, Japan 109

* Iran 75, Philippines 69

* Lebanon 104, Kuwait 59
This story has been viewed 1264 times.