2013 East Asian Basketball Championships Roundup: Day 1

Today was the inaugural day of competitions in the 2013 East Asian Basketball Championships (EABC), and it saw a trio of blowouts as China, South Korea, and Taiwan came out as early winners.

Kim Jong-Kyu slams one home as Korea had an
easy time trouncing Japan.

In the first game, Taiwan ran roughshod over Macau, 108-32, thanks to the 28 points of Jet Chang. Chang shot 10-of-17 from the field and added 4 steals for good measure, while Lin Chin-Pang added 17 markers in a supporting role off the bench. Lin Kuan-Lun and Lin Yi-Huei also added 10 points apiece. Nobody scored more than 7 points for the Macanese, who appeared severely outmatched throughout the entire game.

The second game saw an unexpected blow out as South Korea jumped the gun on the Japan and cruised to an easy 74-55 win. Japanese ace big man Kosuke Takeuchi was hounded by double-teams all afternoon and ended up with just 9 points though he did grab 13 rebounds. Only Ryota Sakurai, Japan’s starting playmaker, scored in double-figures for coach Kimikazu Suzuki with a dozen markers. The Koreans, bannered by a combination of youth team call-ups and up-and-coming KBL stars, shot the lights out from long range and outrebounded the hapless Japanese. Park Chan-Hee, star guard of Anyang KGC, led the way with 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals, while Kyong Hee University sniper Kim Min-Goo dropped 13 points and 7 boards. Park Jae-Hyun and Kim Jong-Kyu added 10 points each.

In the third and last match, China had to scramble in the second half before disposing of Hong Kong, 84-59. Hong Kong played the Chinese tight in the first half and even led, 34-31, at the break before shooter Meng Duo and big man Wang Zhelin paired up to score 15 of China’s 26 points in the third period. That broke the game open and the Chinese eventually rolled to their first win. Wang led the Big Reds with 17 points and 7 rebounds, while the backcourt duo of Zhao Tailong and Guo Ailun scored 12 and 14 respectively. Hong Kong was led by the 19 points of CBA campaigner Lo Yi Ting.