Taiwan’s teams finished third and fourth among the six contenders in the women’s division at the William Jones Cup invitational basketball tournament, which concluded at the Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium on Wednesday.
Taiwan’s Team A, comprising the main roster of the national team, lost 76-93 to South Korea’s Busan BNK Sum, who were second overall with a 4-1 record.
The William Jones Cup was won by Japan’s Chansan V-Magic from the country’s premier women’s basketball league. They were unbeaten through their five games.
Photo: CNA
After their final game, Team A head coach Cheng Hui-yun expressed dissatisfaction with their defensive performance.
If the problems are not resolved before the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8, it could be “ugly” for the team.
Chen Yen-yu nailed all five of her attempts from beyond the arc against Busan, adding 42 points in combination with Chen Wei-an, but it was not enough as Lee So-hee led Busan with 31 points.
Chen Yen-yu, who plays for the Sichuan Blue Whales in Taiwan’s women’s professional CBA, said she has not lost faith in the team despite their third-place finish.
The national team would be strengthened for the Asian Games with the return of players from the World University Games in Chengdu, China, which ended on Tuesday, Chen Yen-yu said.
Taiwan’s Team B, comprising younger players seen as potential national team members, beat Iran 74-64 on Wednesday to end the William Jones Cup in fourth place with a 2-3 record.
Iran, with a 0-5 record, were sixth, while the Philippines finished fifth with a 1-5 record.
Chen Yen-yu was named among the five most outstanding players at the tournament alongside Lee and three Japanese: Mai Yoshida, Koike Haruka and Izoje Uche.
The men’s division is to begin tomorrow, with Taiwan’s A and B teams among seven other teams from South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Qatar, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and the US.
The tournament, which began in 1977, is named after British basketball promoter Renato William Jones, the first secretary-general of the International Basketball Federation, who held the post from 1932 to 1976.
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