The hosts from National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) upped their unbeaten streak to five straight in the second round of play in the annual University Basketball Association (UBA) tournament, topping Taichung’s National Taiwan University of Physical Education and Sport in an 80-68 final yesterday afternoon.
With the spectators’ stands fully packed, the future educators came out firing with 25 points in the opening quarter to give the future PE teachers a rude welcoming.
Even though the visitors would play National Taiwan Normal shoulder-to-shoulder in the second and third quarter to keep the deficit at about 10 points, they could not put together a scoring run in the final quarter to pose any serious threat to the home team, losing by a dozen in the end.
Three players scored in double figures for National Taiwan Normal, led by Wang Tai-chieh’s game-high 18.
As for the future PE teachers, four players scored in double digits in a losing cause.
NATIONAL KAOHSIUNG NORMAL 73, HSING WU 64
New Taipei City’s Hsing Wu University proved no match for red-hot National Kaohsiung Normal University in the second game at National Taiwan Normal yesterday with a 73-64 loss to fall out of contention for a top-six finish.
Having already secured a top-six finish coming into the game, National Kaohsiung Normal did not open the game on the right foot, as they trailed Hsing Wu by four (20-16) after one quarter of play.
However, the favorites would regain their winning form in the second quarter with a 20-12 run to claim a 36-32 lead at the half, before taking advantage of Hsing Wu’s inexperience in the second half to run away with a nine-point victory.
NATIONAL TAIWAN UNIVERSITY OF ARTS 80, CHINESE CULTURE UNIVERSITY 69
National Taiwan University of Arts needed a 14-3 run in the final three minutes of play to cut short an all-out rally by Chinese Culture University in the fourth quarter and escape with an 80-69 win.
The Artists opened the contest with a 25-17 lead in the first quarter and extended their lead to 10 at the half before Chinese Culture came back strong with a strong second half to fall within one with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
That was as close as Chinese Culture got, as the Artists shifted their game up a notch to garner an important victory that could push them over the hump for a top-six finish.
In other play, it was:
‧ Taiwan Shoufu 70, NTU of Science and Technology 55
‧ I-Shou 83, Fu Jen Catholic 82
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