South Korea yesterday picked up a win to remain in title contention with two days to go, trailing by only one win behind leaders Canada and Lithuania at the William Jones Cup in Taipei.
Starting center Kim Jong-kyu dominated the boards to net 21 points, carrying South Korea to a 101-81 victory over Japan in the afternoon contest between the two East Asian powerhouses.
It was the fifth win for South Korea, now in second place with two losses and behind Canada and Lithuania, who have 6-1 records.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The title is up for grabs between the three top teams, as the Jones Cup employs a round-robin system without playoffs.
Each team has two games remaining in the competition, and the team with the best record will take home this year’s title.
Canada staked their claim as the best team in the competition when they thrashed India, scoring an incredible 121 points to India’s 72.
The Philippines, last year’s champions and represented by Gilas Pilipinas this year, effectively lost their title defense yesterday when they fell to a 91-80 defeat to Lithuania.
Guard-forward Eigirdas Zukauskas was the top player for the Baltic nation, finishing with 22 points, four rebounds and seven assists.
The Philippines had four players with double-digit scores, led by Kiefer Ravena and Michael Myers at 14 points each.
Iraq joined the Philippines in third place on a 4-3 record after they got a huge morale booster by beating their archrivals Iran 90-75.
In the domestic derby, Taiwan Blue captain Liu Cheng sank two free throws in the final seconds of overtime to lead his team to an 87-83 victory over Taiwan White, comprised of junior players who are to compete in the Taipei Universiade.
Today’s games at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium are to feature Canada taking on Japan at 11am, followed by the Philippines facing off with India at 1pm and Taiwan White hosting Lithuania at 3pm.
In the evening, South Korea are to face Iraq at 5pm, followed by Taiwan Blue battling Iran at 7pm.
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