EAG – Taiwan Hoops

2009 EAG: Taiwan woman has no answer to China

Taiwan woman NT did not have an answer to powerful China for the second consecutive time in the East Asian Games title game, losing 83-58 in the 2009 EAG final Friday night.

Taiwan’s confidence was high coming into the game after losing to China by only eight points in the preliminary. However China was not to be stopped Friday night, shooting 54% from the field and limited Taiwan’s offense down to 35%.

Taiwan was led by Liu Chun-yi’s 15 points. Yang Ya-hui had 14 points while Lee Wan-ting had 11.

2009 EAG: Taiwan lost to South Korea, failed to defend title

(UDN.com)

Tseng Wen-ting missed a pair of free-throws with 10 seconds to go as Taiwan NT was one step short of a huge comeback bid in the final two minutes, losing a 98-97 heartbreaker to South Korea in the 2009 East Asian Games final and failed to defend its title.

Taiwan NT, who led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter over a South Korean team consisting of military and college players, suddenly found themselves trailed by 12 with two minutes remaining.

Koreans closed the gap with an 8-0 run early in the final quarter.

Taiwan head coach Chung Kwang-suk opted to go for the late game intentional fouling and it worked like magic. As Koreans kept missing free-throws, Taiwan cut the deficit to two with 10 seconds to go.

Lee Hsueh-lin and Tseng Wen-ting executed a perfect give-and-go on the last play as Tseng was fouled on his way to the basket. But he missed the most crucial free-throws in the game.

South Korea made the ensuing free-throws to lead by four before Yang Che-yi added a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left in the game. There was not enough time for Taiwan to turn the tide.

Taiwan led 45-42 at the half.

Tseng Wen-ting had a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds but was only 4-of-11 from the free-throw line. Chang Chih-feng had 20 points and Lin Chih-chieh added 19.

2009 EAG: Taiwan NT in title game again

Led by Tien Lei and Lin Chih-chieh, Taiwan NT beat Japan 69-67 in the semifinal game of the 2009 East Asian Games and advanced to the title game again, winning an opportunity to defend its title after finishing on top in 2005.

Taiwan will meet South Korea, who sent a mix of the military team and college players but surprised China’s second national team 91-59 in the other semifinal, in the tournament finale.

Tien Lei scored the tie-breaking basket on a putback with 10 seconds to go in the close win. Lin Chih-chieh led the team with 17 points. Yang Ching-min had 14 points while center Wu Tai-hao had 12 points, 5 rebounds and two blocks.

In the preliminary round, Taiwan was routed 76-48 by China and cruised past Mongolia 132-94 in the final preliminary game.

Yang Ching-min scored a team-high 12 points in the China game.

Eight players scored in double-digit in the Mongolia game. Tien Lei paced the team with 19 points and Lin Chih-chieh had 18 points. Yang Ching-min chipped in 16.

2009 EAG: Taiwan women NT to fight for gold

For the first time, Taiwan women NT is in the final game of an international competition, although the East Asian Games is not exactly the high level international competition most people have in mind.

With a squad mixing the old and the inexperienced youngsters, Taiwan women NT surprisingly routed South Korea 78-58 in the semifinal and make the 2009 EAG final in Hong Kong. It is expected to meet powerful China in the title game.

Taiwan followed a 35-point blowout win over South Korea in the final preliminary game with yet another lopsided win over Koreans on consecutive nights as forward Liu Chun-yi tallying 23 points and 6 rebounds and veteran center Cheng Hui-yun contributing 21 and 9.

"Newcomers on the team have been a surprise since the first day with their hustle, effort and the will to learn, " head coach Hung Ling-yao was quoted as saying, adding that Taiwan NT relied heavily on veterans offensively and let the young players make stops on the defensive end.

2009 EAG: Taiwan men routs Macau

Six players scored in double-digit as Taiwan cruised past Macau 118-59 Thursday night in its opening game in the 2009 East Asian Games in Hong Kong.

Taiwan was led by Chang Chih-feng and Yang Ching-min who each scored 17 points. Center Wu Tai-hao had 15 points and four blocks in limited playing time. Lin Chih-chieh and Chen Shun-hsiang, who made his national team debut, had 12 points respectively.

Taiwan shot 17-of-35 from the three-point land but only connected 9 of its 16 free-throw opportunities.

2009 EAG: Taiwan women beat Japan

A 15-0 run in the third period helped Taiwan women’s NT to a crucial 76-63 win over rival Japan in the 2009 East Asian games Thursday as Taiwan eyed for a top finish in the single round-robin preliminary round.

Taiwan (2-1) beat Hong Kong 112-47 Wednesday after losing a 69-61 decision to China Tuesday in the opening game.

Taiwan virtually locked up its place in the semi after beating Hong Kong because there are only five teams in the women competition: Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea.

Game summary:

Taiwan 76-63 Japan: Liu Chun-yi 22p+7rb, Cheng Hui-yun 19p+8rb
Taiwan 112-47 Hong Kong: Huang Fan-shan 18p, Hsu Chien-hui 13p, Huang Ying-li 13p
Taiwan 61-69 China: Liu Chun-yi 25p, Cheng Hui-yun 17p+4rb

Taiwan NT looks to defend EAG title

(UDN.com)

Taiwan NT left for Hong Kong today with one goal in their minds — defending its title in the East Asian Games (EAG) next month in Hong Kong.

That’s a lofty goal for a team which only finished for 5th place in Asia, you think. Even if Taiwan won’t meet powerful West Asian teams such as Iran, Lebanon and Jordan in the EAG nor its longtime rival in the south — the Philippines, there are still plenty of good teams in East Asia.

Which is true. To win gold, Taiwan still needs to beat South Korea, Japan and perennial Asian powerhouse China.

However, these countries are not sending their national teams to Hong Kong. China, Japan and South Korea all decided to send second NT or select teams to the EAG, the quadrennial meet which has gradually lost its luster throughout the years, giving Taiwan a legitimate chance for a repeat.

Taiwan NT head coach Chung Kwang-hee did not hesitate to speak his mind, saying that the team looks for bring home its third EAG men’s basketball gold after winning it all in 1993 and 2005.

Taiwan, which is in the same bracket with Macau, Mongolia and China, will meet Macau in the opening game on Dec. 2 and is expected to meet either Japan or South Korea in the semifinal.

Taiwan men’s NT roster for 2009 East Asian Games

Po., Name, Ht., Age
G Lee Hsueh-lin, Yulon, 175cm, 25
G Chen Shih-nian, TB, 180cm, 25
G Yang Ching-min, TB, 188cm, 25
G Chang Chih-feng, Dacin, 183cm, 28
F Chen Shun-hsiang, BOT, 188cm
F Lin Chih-chieh, TB, 192cm, 27
F Chen Tse-wei, Dacin, 200cm, 24
F Tien Lei, Dacin, 202cm, 26
F Yang Che-yi, Yulon, 193cm, 31
F Wu Chien-lung, Pure Youth, 193cm, 20
C Tseng Wen-ting, Yulon, 202cm, 25
C Wu Tai-hao, TB, 202cm, 24

Head coach: Chung Kwang-suk
Assistants: Chou Jun-san, Hsu Ching-tse

Taiwan women’s NT roster for 2009 East Asian Games

Cheng Hui-yun C 186cm 32
Liu Chun-yi F 180cm 28
Chang Ning C 186cm 22
Chang Shih-chieh G 172cm 23
Hsu Chien-hui G 171cm 20
Wu Hsin-ying F 177cm 22
Huang Ying-li G 170cm 20
Yang Ya-hui G 170cm 20
Wu Min-fang G 174cm 22
Lee Wan-ting F 180cm 23
Chen Yu-chun F 176cm 22
Huang Fan-shan G 174cm 22

Head coach: Hung Ling-yao
Assistants: Chien Wei-chuan, Teng Pi-yun

2009 EAG Primer

Taiwan Men’s NT
— 8 teams
— Preliminary: Two groups of four
Group A: Macau, Taiwan, Mongolia, China
Group B: Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Guam
— Top two in each group advance to the semifinal round
— Schedule:
Dec. 3 15:30 vs. Macau
Dec. 5 13:15 vs. Mongolia
Dec. 7 20:00 vs. China

Taiwan Women’s NT
— 6 teams
— Preliminary: Single round robin. Top four advance to the semifinal round
— Schedule:
Dec. 2 11:00 vs. China
Dec. 3 17:45 vs. Hong Kong
Dec. 4 13:15 vs. Japan
Dec. 6 11:00 vs. Guam
Dec. 7 11:00 vs. Korea

Taiwan men’s NT to defend EAG title

Taiwan men’s NT will try to defend its East Asian Games title when the quadrennial competition takes place in Hong Kong in December while Taiwan women’s NT looks to revenge its loss to China in the title game four years ago in Macau.

2009 EAG Primer