A 15-0 run in the third period helped Taiwan women's NT to a crucial 76-63 win over rival Japan in the 2009 East Asian games Thursday as Taiwan eyed for a top finish in the single round-robin preliminary round.
Taiwan (2-1) beat Hong Kong 112-47 Wednesday after losing a 69-61 decision to China Tuesday in the opening game.
Taiwan virtually locked up its place in the semi after beating Hong Kong because there are only five teams in the women competition: Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.
Game summary:
Taiwan 76-63 Japan: Liu Chun-yi 22p+7rb, Cheng Hui-yun 19p+8rb
Taiwan 112-47 Hong Kong: Huang Fan-shan 18p, Hsu Chien-hui 13p, Huang Ying-li 13p
Taiwan 61-69 China: Liu Chun-yi 25p, Cheng Hui-yun 17p+4rb