Tien Lei had 22 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks and led Taiwan to a 115-74 victory over Uzbekistan in the second round of the Asian Championship today. With two wins in hand, Taiwan is looking to a 3-0 record in the second round, which will clinch their spot in the 9th-place game.
Taiwanese players obviously were more loosened up after the disappointing preliminary round. Taiwan NT dominated the tempo in each period, leading 59-32 in halftime, and won by more than 35 points for the second consecutive game. They beat Malaysia 101-63 in the previous game.
Taiwan used its three-point attack to open up the game. Tien Lei made 6-of-10 three-pointers. Lin Chi-jay made 5 out of 10 en route to his 18 points. Chen Chih-chung had 14 points and 4 assists. Chiu Chi-yi and Tsun Wen-din each had 12, while Lee Chi-yi had 11.
S. Kvchin and H. Nurajyev paced Uzbekistan with 18 points each.
Today’s other results so far: Jordan beat Malaysia 69-58, Syria beat Hong Kong 109-77.