Mingdao University and Fu Jen Catholic University remained unbeaten after three games in the preliminary rounds of the annual University Basketball Association tournament with easy wins over their respective opponents in Sinjhuang on Friday.
Mingdao skipper Chia Fan justified to his boss Wang Da-yong, university president, that the NT$4 million (US$124,000) annual budget for the university’s basketball program had been well spent by winning all three games so far by an average 12-point margin to put the school on the map in Division 1.
Friday’s 92-73 victory against previously unbeaten National Taiwan University of the Arts (NTUA) saw Mingdao dominate the glass at both ends of the floor as they out-rebounded NTUA by a huge 63 to 36 margin, including 29 off the offensive glass. With the rebounds providing countless second and third-chance opportunities, it was hard for Mingdao not to win.
PHOTO: WANG YI-SUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Lin Li-ren’s team-high 19 points led a balanced attack for Mingdao, who played 12 men in the game compared with the eight that saw action for NTUA.
FU JEN 79, CHINESE CULTURE 68
Fu Jen took a surprising 28-9 lead after the first quarter and never looked back as they humbled Chinese Culture on Friday evening to deal last season’s UBA runners-up their second straight loss in the tournament.
The win did not come as easily as the final score might suggest, as Fu Jen’s 46-23 halftime lead dwindled to a single-digit advantage in the second half as Chinese Culture rallied with a pair of 8-0 scoring runs in the second half.
Fortunately for the hosts, Game 1 hero Chou Tzu-hua rose to the occasion by sinking all four of his free-throw attempts in the final minute to keep Chinese Culture from pulling off a miraculous comeback.
HSING WU 65, DIWAN 63
Chang Jia-rong’s three-point play the old-fashioned way in the closing seconds turned a one-point deficit into a two-point victory as Hsing Wu College edged past Diwan University on Friday.
With 4.8 seconds remaining, the third-year forward opted to take the ball strong to the hoop instead of dishing it off as his coach had planned, but the outcome was equally desirable as Hsing Wu avoided what would have been an upset loss to Diwan.
Friday’s other results:
• National Donghwa University 96, National Taiwan Sports
University 87
• National Taiwan College of Physical Education 89, National Kaohsiung Normal University 70
• National Taiwan Normal University 102, Taipei Physical Education College 89
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