Rallying behind a brilliant 25-point effort from Lu Cheng-ju, Taiwan rallied from 10 down in the opening quarter with three solid quarters the rest of the way to defeat the defending champs from Iran 84-76 last night, in their sixth game of this year’s William Jones Cup International Basketball Tournament at the University of Taipei Gymnasium in Tianmu.
The win not only gave the Islanders sole possession of the lead in the standings with a 5-1 mark, but also sealed them a berth in the upcoming semi-finals as they look to win the nine-day annual tournament for the first time in 10 years.
It was the best outing for the long-ball shooter in the tournament by far, as Lu came out of a slight slump with five threes on the night to lift the home hosts past their foes.
“I knew someone had to take charge of [the game] and I am glad the shots were falling for me,” Lu said after the game.
Following a dismal first quarter that saw Taiwan trailing Iran 24-17, the hosts were able to drain five threes in a 27-point second quarter to take a 44-35 lead at the half — a lead they would not relinquish despite a late-game rally by Iran to come away with an inspiring victory.
USA 86, Taiwan Team B 56
Team B’s bid to win their third game in a row for Taiwan ran into a stone wall from the US as they stumbled to an 86-56 loss against the Americans in Tianmu yesterday afternoon to settle with 2-4 record for the tournament.
Poor shooting from behind the three-point arc, coupled with an inability to control the defensive glass, were the two main culprits in a game in which the Islanders never felt comfortable. Other than Peng Chun-yen’s lone three in the third quarter, Taiwan shot a dismal 1-for-20 from long range in one of the worst shooting performances in recent history.
To make matters worse, the Americans also dominated the glass on both ends of the floor with a decisive 53-38 edge in total rebounds, including 21 off the offensive glass that led to several easy put-back baskets.
Four different players scored in double-digits for the visitors, led by Craig Williams Jr’s game-high 22 with 17 rebounds, while Taiwan’s Chen Hsiao-jung and Hu Lung-mao were the only double-digit scorers on the day.
In other play, it was:
‧ Egypt 69, Japan 55
‧ South Korea 59, Jordan 52
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
AGING WELL: Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen, 22, was sent packing after being dispatched by world No. 97, Laura Siegemund, the second-oldest player in the draw at 36 Novak Djokovic yesterday created a slice of Grand Slam history on his way into the Australian Open third round, but last year’s women’s finalist Zheng Qinwen was knocked out in the biggest shock so far. Defending champion Aryna Sabalenka, in-form Coco Gauff, two-time Melbourne winner Naomi Osaka and a rampant Carlos Alcaraz were all victors on a rainy day four. Play was suspended on the outside courts for a couple of hours in the early evening because of the wet weather. That led to the rescheduling of a women’s doubles match between wild-cards Tsao Chia-yi of Taiwan and Thailand’s Peangtarn Plipuech and 11th
RSS