Taiwan wins bronze in Asian U18 basketball tourney

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Taiwan won its first medal in the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men since 2000 and a berth to represent Asia in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship after edging Iran 65-60 in the bronze medal game in Sanaa, Yemen late Friday Taiwan time.

Hung Kang-chiao scored a team-high 18 points and Hu Lung-mao added 17 points as Taiwan used a 14-5 run in the third quarter to control the momentum before holding off Iran's furious rally in the final period.

Taiwan, which opened the biennial tournament with an overtime loss to the defending champion Iran, limited the Iranians to a miserable 30 percent field goal shooting percentage in the game for a sweet revenge.

"We have improved a lot, haven't we? " Taiwan head coach Huang Wan-lung quipped after the game, according to the post-game report on the FIBA Asia Web site.

Taiwan last won a medal -- also a bronze -- in the biennial tourney in Kuala Lumpur in 2000, when Huang served on the Taiwanese junior national team as an assistant coach under South Korean head coach Chung Kwang Suk.

Taiwan has never won the junior tournament. It won silver medals in 1972 and 1989 and took home bronze in 1974, 1987, 2000 and 2010. Two years ago, Taiwan finished an all-time worst ninth place.

With the win, Taiwan secured one of three Asian berths in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will be held in Latvia from June 30 to July 10, 2011. Taiwan's previous appearance in the world's top-level junior competition came 23 years ago, when they played at Bormio, Italy in 1987.

China routed South Korea 103-80 in the title game to win its ninth gold in the history of the tournament. The gold and silver medalists will also play in Latvia. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Taiwan loses to South Korea in Asian U18 basketball semis

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Taiwan missed an opportunity to make history by losing to South Korea 79-68 Thursday in the semifinal of the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men in Sanaa, Yemen.

If the team had advanced to the championship game, it would have at least matched its best record -- silver medal finishes in 1972 and 1989 -- in the biennial tournament and could have made a challenge for its first gold in history.

Taiwan was dealt a knockout blow in the decisive third quarter, when the Koreans opened the second half with a 17-2 run, turning a close game into a rout. Taiwan was out-scored 23-10 in the period and trailed by as many as 18 points.

Unable to match Korea's inside play, Taiwan was out-rebounded 39-22. Korea, which was led by Lee Seounghyun's 17 points and 14 rebounds and Lee Jonghyun's 15 points and 10 rebounds, also made 10 more free throws than the Taiwanese.

Center Hu Lung-mao scored a team-high 25 points to go with eight rebounds and six steals for Taiwan, which was leading 35-34 at halftime. Chen Ying-chun and Huang Po-wei had 13 points each.

The team will meet Iran, which lost to China in the other semifinal match, in Friday's bronze medal game. It is still something worth playing for because the top three teams in the tournament will represent Asia in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will be played in Latvia June 30-July 10, 2011. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan advances to FIBA Asia U18 basketball tourney semis

Taipei, Sept. 29 (CNA) Taiwan beat the Philippines 81-64 in the quarterfinal of the FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men Wednesday in Sanaa, Yemen to advance to the tournament's semifinals for the first time in four years.

Taiwan, which will play either Japan or South Korea in the semifinals, will at least duplicate its fourth place finish in 2006 and have a chance to surpass its record in the biennial tourney -- silver medal finishes in 1972 and 1989.

Defensive-minded Taiwan limited the Philippines to 38 percent field goal percentage, including 1 for 12 behind the three-point line, and controlled the boards (46-33) for the victory. On the offensive end, Taiwan had five players scoring in double-figures as Hu Lung-mao paced the team with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and Chen Ying-chun also contributing 13 points.

"I think the boys were nervous early on. But once we found our rhythm, there was no stopping us, " Taiwan head coach Huang Wan-lung was quoted as saying on the FIBA Asia website.

Taiwan closed out the third quarter with an 8-2 run before scoring the first six points in the fourth to put the game away, leading by 17 with five minutes remaining.

The top three teams in the tournament will represent Asia in the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship, which will be played in Latvia from June 30 to July 10, 2011. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Taiwan advances to Asian U18 basketball quarterfinals

Taipei, Sept. 27 (CNA) Taiwan beat Kazakhstan 79-61 in the second round of the FIBA Asia U18 Men's Championship at Sanaa, Yemen Monday to advance to the tournament's quarterfinal.

The team finished second-round play in the six-team Group E with a 3-2 record, good enough to clinch a spot in the final eight.

It will have a day off on Tuesday before taking on either China, the Philippines or Japan Wednesday in a knockout quarterfinal matchup (depending on the result of the final second round game later Monday between China and Japan) to vie for a berth in the semifinals.

"It doesn't matter who we play in the quarterfinals. What is important is that we qualified," Taiwan head coach Huang Wan-lung was quoted as saying by FIBA Asia's website.

Huang Po-wei had 19 points and Chen Ying-chun had 16 points for Taiwan, which shot 52 percent from the field. But it was Taiwan's defense that was the key, as it limited its opponent to 30 percent shooting from the field and forced 12 turnovers.

Regardless of what happens in the quarterfinal, Taiwan will finish better than it did two years ago in the biennial tournament. Taiwan ranked a disappointing ninth place in 2008 after finishing fourth in 2006. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan lost to Korea in Asian U18 basketball tourney

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) Taiwan trailed from start to finish in a 99-90 loss to South Korea in the first game of the second round Saturday in FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men held in Sanaa, Yemen.

The Taiwan team dug themselves a big hole in the first quarter when they were outscored by the Koreans 38-22. From that point on, all they could do was try to catch up but in the end failed in the attempt.

Chen Ying-chun led Taiwan with 19 points while Hu Lung-mao had 18. Lee Seounghyun led South Korea with 24 points and 12 rebounds.

"We were caught napping early. The early deficit proved a little too much," Taiwan head coach Huang Wan-lung was quoted by FIBA Asia Web site as saying.

Sixteen participating teams in the biennial tournament are pooled in groups of four in the preliminary round. The top three teams in each group advance to the second round, with two groups of six teams each.

Taiwan, which is now 1-2 in the second round, is scheduled to meet Lebanon Sunday. It ranked ninth in 2008 and finished fourth in 2006. (By Chris Wang) enditem

Taiwan grabs first win in Asian U18 men's basketball

Taipei, Sept. 23 (CNA) Taiwan routed Malaysia 96-47 for its first win in the 2010 FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men Thursday in Sanaa, Yemen.

Rebounding from a loss in overtime against defending champion Iran the previous day, Taiwan locked down Malaysia with a strong defense, limiting opponents' field goals to 28 percent and jumping out in front with a 39-18 halftime lead.

"I am pleased about the way we played defense throughout, " said Taiwan head coach Huang Wan-lung after the match.

Eleven Taiwanese players played in the lopsided game as Huang tried to gave his bench more playing time, saying that he felt the team lost to Iran "because the bench lacked experience."

Chien Wei-ju scored a team high of 20 points, while Hu Lung-mao added 16 points, bringing Taiwan to one win and one loss in Group A of the competition.

Sixteen participating teams in the biennial tournament are pooled in groups of four in the preliminary round. The top three teams in each of the four groups will advance to the second round, where they will be divided into groups of six teams each.

Taiwan ranked ninth in 2008 and finished fourth in 2006. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan loses to Iran in Asian U18 men's basketball tournament

Taipei, Sept. 22 (CNA) Taiwan lost to defending champions Iran 56-67 in overtime in the opening game of the 2010 FIBA Asia U18 Championship for Men Wednesday in Sanaa, Yemen.

Taiwan was trailing by 15 points in the second quarter but bounced back to take a six-point lead in the last three minutes of the game, and at the end of regulation time, the score was tied 51-51, Taiwan head coach Huang Wan-lung said by telephone.

However, in overtime play, three of Taiwan's main players -- Hu Lung-mao, Hung Kang-chao and Chen Ying-chun -- all fouled out of the game, Huang said. The height advantage of the Iranian players proved a problem for the Taiwan players, and the game ended 67-56 in favor of Iran, he added.

Taiwan, which dropped to ninth place in 2008 after finishing fourth in 2006 in the biennial tournament, is scheduled to meet Malaysia Thursday and Sri Lanka Friday to complete the preliminary round.

The Taiwan team is seen likely to place second in the Group A, behind Iran.

In the preliminary round, the 16 participating teams are pooled in groups of four. The top three teams in each of the four groups will advance to the second round, where they will be divided into groups of six teams each.

In the second round, each team will carry forward the results against the other qualifying teams. The top four teams in each group will qualify for the quarterfinals, after which it becomes a knockout competition. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc