Totally outplaying their opponents, National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) trounced Fu Jen Catholic University 86-66 in the title game of the annual University Basketball Association (UBA) tournament on Tuesday evening to successfully defend their title.
NTNU came out firing by bombarding Fu Jen with seven first-quarter threes to open a 26-9 lead after the first 10 minutes of play.
Fu Jen regained their composure in the second quarter, keeping NTNU from extending their lead, going on a 15-5 run to pull within eight midway through the third.
However, game-MVP Luo Yu-chuin made sure that NTNU enjoyed a double-digit lead before the end of the third with a monstrous three-pointer and a strong drive to the hoop that dampened the Fu Jen rally.
Even though Fu Jen made another run in the fourth to cut the deficit to as little as seven points, National Taiwan Normal answered with a 12-2 run in the final three minutes to seal the victory.
“It was a big win for us in that the expectation to win it all this year was so high after last year’s title,” NTNU head coach Shih Ming-tsong said after the game.
As for Fu Jen, the 17-point hole they dug themselves into in the first quarter proved inescapable as a rollercoaster season came to a halt on a down note despite several brilliant moments including big wins over National Taiwan Normal and Chinese Culture in the preliminary rounds.
CHINESE CULTURE 74, MINGDAO 61
In the battle for the third-place finish, Chinese Culture University vented their frustration from a one-point loss to National Taiwan Normal the night before by defeating Changhua’s Mingdao University.
The win ended the season on a high note for Chinese Culture and showed a promising future for the home team as underclassmen Shih Jin-yao and Lee Wei-tseh stole the show from seniors Lu Cheng-rue and Wu Fong-cheng (both playing for the Yulon Luxgens) by tallying 18 and 13 points respectively to lead the Chinese Culture attack.
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