Taiwan yesterday opened their FIBA Basketball World Cup Group B qualifying campaign on a sour note when Australia ran riot in a 104-66 victory at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium.
There were high hopes for a good result, with Taiwanese fans packing the venue as the nation hosted its first Asian World Cup qualifier since 1963.
However, the fans left disappointed after the heavy defeat, as the Australia players took advantage of their height advantage and physicality to shred Taiwan’s defense as the visitors pulled away to a 45-26 halftime lead.
Photo: Cho Chia-ping, Taipei Times
The visitors had five players in double digits, led by the hot shooting duo of Jason Cadee and Daniel Kickert with 16 and 15 points respectively.
Big center Quincy Davis, a naturalized Taiwanese citizen, led the hosts with 17 points, five rebounds and four steals in the losing cause.
Starters Liu Ching and Chen Kuang-chuan contributed 10 points each.
Against a powerful Australia side, who also had good pace, Taiwan committed 21 turnovers, which gave the visitors more scoring runs, while Australia also sank 11 three-pointers to deflate the home crowd.
Elsewhere in Group B yesterday, the Philippines spoiled Japan’s party with a 77-71 victory at the Komazawa Olympic Park in Tokyo.
Guard Jayson Castro William ensured the win for Gilas Pilipinas on the road when he posted five points down the stretch in the fourth quarter to snuff out a rally by the hosts.
William finished top scorer with 20 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while center Andray Blatche did his part with 13 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks.
Japan shooting guard Makoto Hiejima put in an outstanding performance to chalk up 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
In Group A on Thursday, South Korea battled to a 86-80 triumph over New Zealand in Wellington, while China delighted the home crowd by routing Hong Kong 96-44 in Nanjing.
Taiwan’s next game is on Monday in Manila when they face the Philippines, while Japan are due to visit Australia for a game at the Titanium Security Arena in Adelaide.
In Group A tomorrow, China travel to Goyang City to take on South Korea, while Hong Kong are due to play at home against New Zealand.
Jannik Sinner continued his quest to become the first man in history to win five Masters 1000 tournaments in a row with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Danish qualifier Elmer Moller at the Madrid Open on Sunday. The world leader extended his winning streak to 19 matches, a run that began early March in Indian Wells, and he has captured 24 consecutive victories at the Masters 1000 level, dating back to the Paris Masters last October. Searching for a maiden title at this level on clay, Sinner advanced to the round of 16 at the Caja Magica with a 77-minute performance against
When Paddy Dwyer arrived in China in 1976, crowds jostled to catch a glimpse of him and his companions — the first Western soccer team to play in the country. China was emerging from the chaos of the Cultural Revolution, and on the brink of market reforms that would take the country from economic stagnation to explosive growth. “All we could see was lines of people running beside our bus, trying to look in the windows, to see their first visual of a white person,” he said. “It was all bicycles,” he said. “There were very few cars to be seen.” Dwyer,
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Some of Clearlake Capital Group’s largest investors are growing increasingly concerned about how much time the company’s co-founders are spending on sports investments as they have struggled to complete the fundraising for the private equity firm’s latest flagship fund. One of Clearlake’s co-founders, Behdad Eghbali, has been spending what some investors described as a disproportionate amount of time on the firm’s investment in Chelsea Football Club in recent months. Now, co-founder Jose E. Feliciano and his wife, Kwanza Jones, are nearing a record US$3.9 billion deal to acquire the San Diego Padres. That personal investment by Feliciano has set off the latest
RSS