South Korea produced their best performance of the 38th William Jones Cup so far, defeating titleholders Iran 67-50 in a big upset yesterday, while Philippines-Mighty Sports notched another victory to sit atop the standings with four wins and no losses.
Playing to their strengths, South Korea took the game to their opponents from the start with a fast pace and plenty of quick breaks.
They went in at halftime with a 33-22 lead and Iran’s starters could not keep up with South Korea’s speedy transitions as the lead gradually widened in the second half.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Tiapei Times
Starter Kim Sun-hyung and bench forwards Heo Il-young and Kim Jun-yi found their shooting range as they combined for 40 points.
South Korea starting center Lee Seoung-hyun had a scintillating day, anchoring the defense and directing traffic in the lane.
Lee contributed eight points, six rebounds and four assists.
South Korea had the defense shadowing high-scoring Iran guard Behnam Yakhchali throughout.
Despite the extra attention, Yakhchali found enough space to score 13 points, making three-for-six with his trademark three-pointers.
However, the defense had him locked down in the final stretch and he was held scoreless in the fourth quarter.
The upset cleared the way to the No. 1 position for Philippines-Mighty Sports, who took full advantage by crushing Japan 87-66.
Four players scored in double digits, led by Zachary Graham, who nailed 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
Senegalese starting center Hamady N’Diaye, playing for Mighty Sports, impressed with another dominating display. He recorded eight points and 10 rebounds.
Local reports have linked N’Diaye to the Super Basketball League after the big man’s performances at the tournament.
Japan forward Nishikawa Takanobu top scored for the losers with 15 points, while starter Yuki Mitsuhara hit a double-double, with 10 rebounds and 10 points.
The Philippines gave Japan no chance from the tip-off, sinking 28 points in the first quarter on their way to a 50-21 lead at halftime.
They eased off after the intermission, scoring 37 points in the second half for a 21-point final margin.
In the early afternoon contest, Egypt marched to their second win with a 79-67 triumph over India, who have yet to taste victory in the competition.
Starting guard Amr Sherif Abdelhalim and Ibrahim El Gammal had 19 and 16 points respectively in a big scoring haul for Egypt, with three other teammates also hitting double-digits for hoops.
In yesterday’s late game, US-Sacramento State thrashed Taiwan B 81-60.
Today’s games see Philippines-Mighty Sports looking to consolidate their position on top against India at 1pm, US-Sacramento State taking on Egypt at 3pm, Taiwan B Team hosting Japan at 5pm and Taiwan A playing Iran at 7pm.
TAIWANESE EXITS: Fellow Australian Christopher O’Connell joined Tristan Schoolkate as a winner following his 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Tseng Hsin-chun Australian qualifier Tristan Schoolkate on Monday dispatched rising Brazilian talent Joao Fonseca 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 at the ATP Toronto Masters, ensuring a breakthrough into the world top 100. The 24-year-old from Perth moved to 98th in the ongoing live rankings as he claimed his biggest career victory by knocking out the ATP NextGen champion from November last year. Schoolkate, son of a tennis coach, won his first match over a top-50 opponent on his sixth attempt as he ousted the world No. 49 teenager from Brazil. The qualifier played a quarter-final this month in Los Cabos and won through qualifying for his
Top seeds Alexander Zverev of Germany and American Coco Gauff on Tuesday advanced to the third round of the Canadian Open after both players were pushed hard by their opponents. World No. 3 Zverev, playing in his first match since his first-round loss at Wimbledon, was far from his best, but emerged with a 7-6 (8/6), 6-4 win over Adam Walton under the lights in Toronto. Momentum shifted firmly in Zverev’s favor when he won a 52-shot rally in the first set tiebreak and he sealed the win on a double fault by the Australian in the second set. “It was a very
Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen on Thursday said that he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future. “Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama, but, for me, it’s always been quite clear, and also for next year,” the four-time champion said ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I’m discussing with the team already the plans — the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I’m also staying with the team for next year,” he said. Verstappen has a contract with
Alex Michelsen on Thursday rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4 upset victory over third-seeded Lorenzo Musetti in the men’s singles, converting his seventh match point to reach the fourth round of the Canadian Open. Michelsen reached the last 16 of a Masters 1000 for the first time with his second win over a top-10 player in eight attempts. The 20-year-old American survived nearly 50 unforced errors and converted just two of nine break chances, but it was enough to vanquish Italy’s Musetti, a two-time Grand Slam semi-finalist ranked 10th in the world. “It feels really good,” the 26th-ranked Michelsen said. “I’ve put
RSS