Taiwan proved no match for the Philippines in their second game of the Jones Cup, falling short by a dozen 90-78 at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to even their record at 1-1.
Other than a brief 15-14 lead at the 2 minutes, 25 seconds mark in the opening quarter, courtesy of a pair of free throws following a technical foul against Philippines center Marcus Douthit, the hosts never felt comfortable against an in-your-face defense throughout the contest.
The pressure applied by the Philippines defense not only caused numerous turnovers and altered countless shots for Taiwan’s players, but more importantly it destroyed their confidence.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Both teams had trouble finding the basket in the early going as they combined for only four points over the first three minutes of play, but that soon changed as the Philippines quickly found their shooting touch midway through the first to close out the quarter with a modest 21-17 lead.
That was the extent that Taiwan was able to hang with the Philippines as the visitors exploded for 28 points in the second quarter, compared with Taiwan’s 19, to build a double-digit cushion (49-36) at the half.
The Philippines led by as many as 20 in the second half, with Douthit picking up nine of his game-high 23 points to lead the way. He also racked up a game-high nine rebounds, despite playing less than 30 minutes because of foul trouble.
Taiwan captain Chen Hsin-an’s 17 points in the game was the lone highlight for the hosts, who were beaten by the Philippines in every facet of the game.
Next up for Taiwan will be Malaysia, who dropped their first two games. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm this evening.
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