Previously undefeated Philippines stumbled against Lebanon in the biggest upset of the William Jones Cup tournament so far, falling 91-72 short of the Middle Easterners at the Taipei Physical Education College Gymnasium in Tianmu yesterday afternoon to settle with a 4-1 record.
The loss not only put the Philippines virtually out of title contention as they look to another uphill battle against the undefeated defending champs from Iran this afternoon, but also heightens the stakes in tomorrow night’s showdown between Taiwan and Lebanon, with the winner likely to end with a fourth-place finish.
Naturalized standout Jarrid Famous led the way for Lebanon with 11 points in the first quarter that saw his team take a surprise 22-15 advantage against the favored Philippines. That was all they needed to pull off the upset as Elie Stephan poured in 11 in the second quarter to spearhead Lebanon to a double-digit halftime lead before the eventual victory.
United States 95, Japan 73
The US bounced back from a double-overtime loss to Iran on Wednesday with a convincing 95-73 win over Japan in the early game in Tianmu yesterday afternoon, thanks to a 32-point second quarter that gave the US a 51-40 lead at the half.
Five US players scored in double-figures on the night, with speedy guard James Justice leading the way. The 1.77m native of Memphis, Tennessee, was more than his Japanese counterpart could handle as he shot an impressive six-for-eight from the field for a team-high 18 points.
In other Cup play, it was:
‧ South Korea 105, Jordan 84
‧ Iran 83, Taiwan Guan-hua 71
Boston Red Sox pitcher Connelly Early on Tuesday struck out 11 in five shutout innings to match a franchise record during his MLB debut against the Oakland Athletics. “Pretty sick performance,” teammate Romy Gonzalez said. “It was fun to watch.” The only other Red Sox starter to rack up 11 strikeouts in his first career game was Don Aase versus the Milwaukee Brewers on July 26, 1977. “It was amazing, just to go out there and have that first opportunity,” Early said after getting the win in a 6-0 victory. “A long day of travel yesterday and just getting to the field, seeing
Mikel Merino on Sunday scored a hat-trick as a majestic Spain thumped Turkey 6-0 away in World Cup qualifying, while a brilliant Florian Wirtz free-kick helped Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 to get their bid up and running. European champions Spain were in unstoppable form in the central Turkish city of Konya, claiming their second biggest-ever away win in World Cup qualifying as Arsenal midfielder Merino scored his first professional hat-trick. Barcelona playmaker Pedri Gonzalez opened the scoring inside six minutes and later completed the scoring, with Ferran Torres netting the visitors’ other goal. The quality of Merino’s strikes was remarkable, with his
ELEVEN STRIKEOUTS: Blake Snell allowed two singles and two walks against the Rockies as he ended a personal three-game skid with his first win since Aug. 16 Blake Snell on Wednesday struck out a season-high 11 in six innings, while Mookie Betts hit a grand slam in the eighth as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Colorado Rockies 9-0 for their fourth straight win. Helped by their third series sweep of the Rockies this MLB season, the Dodgers increased their National League West lead to three games over the San Diego Padres, who lost 2-1 at home to the Cincinnati Reds. Betts went four for five with five RBIs, capped by his seventh career slam on a 3-0 pitch from reliever Anthony Molina to make it 8-0. Andy Pages and
SWEDEN BEATEN: Goals in the first half by Elvis Rexhbecaj and Vedat Muriqi were enough to give Kosovo their second-ever win in World Cup qualifying Sandro Tonali’s last-gasp winner on Monday edged Italy to a 5-4 victory over Israel in FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifying, while Kosovo beat Sweden despite Alexander Isak making his first appearance of the season. After collapsing from leading 4-2 in the final two minutes to drawing 4-4, Tonali’s 91st-minute strike in the Hungarian city of Debrecen sent Italy above Israel and into the playoff spot in Group I. New coach Gennaro Gattuso’s side trail leaders Norway by three points and still have a chance of taking first place and the group’s sole direct qualifying spot as they seek to avoid missing out
RSS