Led by Tien Lei and Lin Chih-chieh, Taiwan NT beat Japan 69-67 in the semifinal game of the 2009 East Asian Games and advanced to the title game again, winning an opportunity to defend its title after finishing on top in 2005.
Taiwan will meet South Korea, who sent a mix of the military team and college players but surprised China's second national team 91-59 in the other semifinal, in the tournament finale.
Tien Lei scored the tie-breaking basket on a putback with 10 seconds to go in the close win. Lin Chih-chieh led the team with 17 points. Yang Ching-min had 14 points while center Wu Tai-hao had 12 points, 5 rebounds and two blocks.
In the preliminary round, Taiwan was routed 76-48 by China and cruised past Mongolia 132-94 in the final preliminary game.
Yang Ching-min scored a team-high 12 points in the China game.
Eight players scored in double-digit in the Mongolia game. Tien Lei paced the team with 19 points and Lin Chih-chieh had 18 points. Yang Ching-min chipped in 16.