Unbeknownst to many local hoop nuts, the 2014 William Jones Cup is currently ongoing in Taiwan. This is quite understandable, of course, given how no Philippine team is competing, but I have a vested interest here because, well, I love Asian basketball. Right now, many of the teams currently playing in Taiwan feature some of the most promising young Asian hoopsters, and that’s more than enough to get my attention.
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| Day four saw two undefeated teams fall in the Jones Cup! |
Now let’s look at the results from day four!
Day 4 Scores and Recaps:
TAIWAN WHITE over IRAN, 85-75
Box Scores here.
On the heels of a three-game losing streak in the tournament, Chinese Taipei B finally clinched its first victory. Despite an early charge by Iran that led to 28 points in the first quarter, the margin was tight at the end of the first half with Taipei White leading, 43-42, at the break. The 10-point deficit at the end was thanks in large part to Kevin Hu, who stepped up with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Along with Hu, Taipei White also saw Peng Chun-Yen and Chen Ying-Chun register a combined 26 points to help lead the charge. Though the B team has struggled thus far, the victory gives them confidence moving forward.
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| Peng Chun-Yen splits the Iranian defense. |
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| Kevin Hu unloaded a strong game against Team Melli. |
USA over JORDAN, 86-79
Box Scores here.
Just one day after dismantling South Korea, Team USA came out on fire against previously undefeated Jordan. The 86-79 victory pushed the United States to a 3-1 record and in a tie at the top of the standings with Jordan and Taiwan Blue. Daryl Dorsey put up a personal tournament-high 30 points to pace the team in scoring. As for the presence inside, Cory Bradford and Craig Williams had 15 and 12 points, respectively, along with nine rebounds apiece. USA faces an Egypt team fresh off a huge win of their own over Taiwan Blue. With both teams looking to compete for the title, the Day 5 clash should be a pivotal one in the preliminary round.
EGYPT over TAIWAN BLUE, 69-61
Box Scores here.
Another undefeated team, another disappointing loss. Egypt was looking for answers coming into Tuesday's matchup with Taipei Blue. They found those answers and more thanks to an outstanding all-around performance on both offense and defense. Haytham Khalifa (17), Ramy Abdalla (12) and Ibrahim El Gammal (12) all notched double-digit points for Egypt in the critical victory. As for defense, the Egyptians were able to hold Taiwan Blue to a tournament-low 61 points—the lowest before Day 4 was 84 against Taiwan White. Egypt has its hands full looking to move over .500 against Team USA on Day 4 of the Cup.
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| Lin Chih-Chieh returned to action for the Taiwanese. |
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| Tseng Wen-Ting goes up for the dunk against Egypt. |
KOREA over JAPAN, 102-87
Box Scores here.
Looking to make a statement after a double-digit loss to USA, South Korea did exactly the same to Japan. The now 0-4 Japanese club was no match for South Korea in the 102-87 bludgeoning that occurred. South Korea's decisive victory was led by Ricardo Ratliffe , who had 22 points and 23 rebounds. As for the scoring leaders, Song Chang-Yong (32) and Yang Jun-Beom (26) put up monster numbers to blister the woeful Japanese club.
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| Team Hayabusa mainstay Daiki Tanaka takes it strong to the hole. |
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| Moon Tae-Young tries from in close against the Japanese. |
Recaps from Bleacher Report.
Images from the Jones Cup.
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1 Comment
Will you do an article about your thoughts and predictions about the likely scenario and outcome in World Cup Spain?
BalasConsidering that most of the lineups of participating nations have been finalized.
I'd love to read an article like that before the start of the games.
Like how you weigh in on the kind of game the coaches would employ, the notable absences of Durant, Ginobili, Kim Mingoo, Parker, Kirk Penney, Mills, Ilyasova etc. from their respective teams would affect their performance, the entry of FIBA men's newcomers like Irving, Exum, Antetokounmpo, Blatche, etc.