Taipei, March 27 (CNA) A Taiwanese basketball player was named Most Outstanding Player in the United States National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II basketball championship Sunday, even though his team lost in the title game.
Chang Tsung-hsien scored 35 points, the fourth highest personal score in championship's history, for Brigham Young University-Hawaii in a 71-68 loss to Kentucky's Bellarmine University to become the first player from a losing team to be named MOP since 1998.
"I don't really think too much about the award. Individual awards don't mean much to me. I wanted to help us win a title. That was the most important thing for me, " Chang, a 1.92-meter shooting guard, was quoted as saying by the NCAA's website.
"It was a good experience, especially to play in a championship game. I worked hard to help my team any way I could. I wish I could have done more, but I enjoyed having a chance to play here, " he added.
Chang, who goes by the nickname of "Jet, " tallied 78 points in two games in the Final Four and is the first Taiwanese player to win the MOP honor.
He also shot 14-of-17 from the field and made seven 3-pointers en route to a career-high 43 points in a 110-101 win over West Liberty University in the national semi-final March 25.
Chang, who hails from Taiwan's eastern county of Yilan, led Hsin-rong High School to Taiwan's high school league title in 2006. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J