Chang “Jet” Tsung-hsien propelled Taiwan with 13 first-half points as they brushed aside Malaysia in a 104-54 triumph at the Sinjhuang Sports Complex in New Taipei City last night to move to 2-1 after the third day of this year’s William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament.
Chang set the tone from the opening whistle, draining a three-pointer, then adding a jumper and a layup to score Taiwan’s first seven points to open a lead that would never be threatened.
Chang’s effort was aided by Chien Chia-hung’s 12 first-half points, as Taiwan effortlessly attacked the Malaysia zone defense to jump out to a 23-point lead at the end of a lopsided first quarter.
The second quarter saw little change as Taiwan took a 53-23 lead into the locker room having dominated every facet of the game.
Good ball movement and precision passing by the Taiwan backcourt set up easy layups and open jumpers as they shot 62 percent from the field in the first half and racked up 15 assists.
Malaysia were stymied by Taiwan’s suffocating defense and struggled to produce much offense other than from the free-throw line.
In the second half, Taiwan’s Chou Yi-hsiang kept the crowd and the bench entertained as he finished the night with 15 points, including an emphatic dunk late in the fourth.
Malaysia were led by their No. 1 scoring threat, Chee Li-wei, who scored 12 points in the losing effort.
The blowout victory left the Taiwan bench full of smiles after their loss to the Philippines, but next up for Chou Jung-san’s team are Jordan, who moved to 3-0 after topping the Philippines. Tip off is scheduled for 7pm tonight.
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