2014 FIBA Asia Cup Roundup: Day 2

Day 2 action in Wuhan saw China, the Philippines, and Japan get big wins!

Day 2 of the 2014 FIBA Asia Cup in Wuhan, China saw the Filipinos nearly drop the ball against Taiwan, the Japanese bounce back against India, and the Chinese upset the Iranians.

In the first game, Taiwan’s B Team gave World-Cup-bound Gilas Pilipinas more than it bargained for before bowing, 78-64. The Pinoys actually started well here, scoring the game’s first ten points and even leading by as 16 points in the first half, but the Taiwanese wouldn’t quit, putting together a huge run in the third quarter to take the lead, 50-47, heading to the payoff period. Gilas then turned to Paul Lee, Ranidel De Ocampo, LA Tenorio, and Gary David to stem the tide and turn the tables, finally breaking the game open again in the last few minutes. Paul Lee, fresh from the 2014 PBA Govs’ Cup Finals, led the way for Gilas with 18 points, while Gary David contributed 16. Marcus Douthit scored just 8 markers, but he grabbed 16 rebounds and had 3 blocks to be the Pinoys’ tower of strength in the middle. PBA MVP Junemar Fajardo fouled out in just 6 minutes of play. On the other end, young gunner Kevin Hu (Hu Long-Mao) led Taiwan with 15 points, while SBL MVP Liu Cheng tossed in 13.

In game #2, Japan notched its first win of the tournament by blowing out India, 75-52. It was a tight contest in the first period before the Japs opened things up in the second stanza and held a 14-point lead at the break. Coach Kenji Hasegawa’s wards saw their lead balloon in the third canto before cruising the rest of the way. Japan’s tight D forced 23 turnovers from the Indians, who wasted their 36-31 edge in rebounding. Joji Takeuchi was the best player for Team Hayabusa with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals, while Yusuke Okada, Takumi Ishizaki and Tenketsu Harimoto all finished in double-figure scoring. Japan enjoyed 40% shooting from long range despite missing the services of ace gunner Kosuke Kanamaru, who sat out his second game due to flu-like symptoms. The Indians, meanwhile, were paced by the 15 points and 8 boards of Amritpal Singh. Indian stars Vishesh Bhriguvanshi and Amjyot Singh shot below par here, combining for just 15 points on 6/16 FG shooting.

In the day’s last match, the hosts, China, played well beyond expectations to hand Iran its first FIBA Asia loss in three years, 64-51. Tao Hanlin and Dong Hanlin more than held their own in the paint, while Gao Shang took care of perimeter scoring to pace the Chinese. Despite having a taller frontline, Iran trailed in the battle of the boards, 34-39, thanks to China’s tenacious rebounders. Dong Hanlin collared a game-high 11 boards for the Big Red Machine. Tao Hanlin, meanwhile, shot a perfect 5/5 from the floor on his way to a dozen points. Gao Shang, for his part, hit two triples on his way to a team-high 13 points in 23 minutes. Hamed Haddadi led Iran with 15 markers, 9 boards, and 2 blocks, while Saman Veisi took care of playmaking chores with 9 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Both of coach Memi Becirovic’s point guards, however, (Veisi and Sajjad Mashayekhi) fouled out in the fourth quarter.

BOX SCORES:

Day 2:

PHILIPPINES over TAIWAN, 78-64

PHI 78 - Lee 18, David 16, Tenorio 11, De Ocampo 11, Douthit 8, Dillinger 5, Aguilar 4, Lanete 3, Washington 2, Alas 0, Belga 0, Fajardo 0

TPE 64 - Hu 15, Liu 13, Lu 9, Peng 8, Davis 7, Chen y 5, Lee 3, Chen H 2, Chou 2, Chang 0, Chen K 0

QS: 20-10, 36-26, 47-50, 78-64