Finally you could see some smiles on Taiwanese players’ faces. Lin Chi-jay had 24 points to power Taiwan past Malaysia 101-63 in the first game of the second round, where Taiwan is placed in the same group with Jordan, Malaysia and Uzbekistan.
Every game in the second round matters for Taiwan NT. If they finish 3-0, they will have a chance to go for 9th-place with the winner of the other group. With every loss, their final ranking will be lower.
Already knocked out of the final eight, Taiwan NT was highly motivated facing the weaker Malaysia. Lin Chi-jay made 6-of-11 three-point tries. Tien Lei came away with 20 points and 9 boards, while Chiu Chi-yi had 16 points and 4 assists.
For the first time in the tournament Taiwan outrebounded its opponent, leading 39-20 on rebounding with 17 coming from the offensive end.
However, this is expected to be the easiest game for them. The next two opponents will be Uzbekistan and Jordan.
Today’s biggest surprise is definitely Hong Kong upsetting Philippines. Forward Tam Wei Yeung led Hong Kong with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Second Round Brackets
(No.1-8)
Group I: Kazakhstan, Korea, Iran, Qatar
Group II: Lebanon, India, China, Japan
(No.9-16)
Group III: Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Taiwan, Jordan
Group IV: Hong Kong, Kuwait, Syria, Philippines
Other results
(No.1-8)
China 117-62 India
Korea 105-81 Iran
Lebanon 76-63 Japan
Qatar 83-61 Kazakhstan
(No.9-16)
Jordan 86-83 Uzbekistan
Hong Kong 66-58 Philippines
Kuwait 80-75 Syria