Wasting second-half leads as large as 17 points, Taiwan fell short to champions Iran in a 92-82 loss in the final game of Jones Cup play at the Taipei County Gymnasium in Sinjhuang last night to finish fifth in this year’s competition.
The loss exposed the host’s weakness in handling full-court pressure, as they turned the ball over without getting a shot off on four straight positions in the final minutes of the game.
There was a big disparity off the glass too, with Iran enjoying a 56-30 rebounding edge.
PHOTO: LIN CHENG-KUNG, TAIPEI TIMES
Taiwan opened the game with three three-pointers from the field that helped build a 22-20 lead after the first quarter and the red-hot shooting continued for the hosts in the second quarter as they converted 11 of 24 in a 27-point outburst led by Yang Jing-min’s nine to lead 49-38 at the half.
Back-to-back three’s by Taiwan’s James Mao upped the lead to 17 early in the third quarter before Iran capitalized on their size advantage, Asghar Kardoust racking up most of his game-high points from close range to reduce Taiwan’s lead to 69-64 by the end of the quarter.
Iran followed a strong rally in the third quarter with a dominant fourth, running away with a sixth straight win.
JAPAN 83, COLLEGE ALL-STARS 67
Japan proved too experienced for the Taiwan College All-Stars, downing the local boys late yesterday afternoon to earn a third-place finish.
The All-Stars surprised took a 16-11 lead through the first seven minutes of play behind solid shooting by Sung Yu-hsuan.
The 20-year-old led the scoring with 26 in his best game of the tournament by far.
After falling behind early in the game, Japan pull off an 11-5 run to close out the first quarter with a 22-21 lead.
The visitors quickly widened the gap with 22 second-quarter points while holding the All-Stars to only six points in the quarter to trail by 17 points at the half.
LEBANON 73, PHILIPPINES 62
Lebanon secured a second-place finish in the competition with a win over the Philippines yesterday afternoon. Four different players scored in double-digits for Lebanon, Elie Estephan leading the scoring with 17.
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