National Taiwan Normal University stormed its way into the title game on Tuesday afternoon with a convincing 100-67 win over Hsin Wu College in the first game of the semi-finals of the University Basketball Association (UBA) championship to take on Chinese Culture University, which beat the defending champs from Fu Jen Catholic University 75-57 in the other game of the semi-finals on Tuesday night.
With a starting lineup consisting entirely of current Super Basketball League (SBL) players and unbeaten in all 14 of its games in the tournament thus far with an average margin of victory of 35-plus points, National Taiwan Normal treated a supportive home crowd in Taipei to a rout over a much weaker Hsin Wu squad.
For Hsin Wu, another outstanding season that ended with a tough loss in the semi-finals only proved that coach Wang Jin-cheng’s recent success after taking his team to its first-ever “Final Four” appearance last year was no fluke.
CHINESE CULTURE 75,
FU JEN CATHOLIC 57
Chinese Culture needed another spectacular run late in the game to cut loose a resilient Fu Jen team in a 75-57 semi-final on Tuesday night to earn the right to face National Taiwan Normal in the title game.
Just like the night before against Taipei Physical Education College in the quarter-finals where Chinese Culture went on a 14-3 run to break a late-game tie for the win, Tuesday night’s contest also saw them battle the defending champs closely for three tough quarters before an 18-0 run in the fourth quarter put them up for good.
Leading the attack for Chinese Culture was forward Lin Jin-bang (Pure Youth Construction) whose timely surge with 23 points and six rebounds carried his team for much of the game.
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