2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Taipei wins second match as Saudi Arabia struggles anew

(Updated 2:52pm) Chinese Taipei scored their second victory in a row with a 90-67 win over Saudi Arabia, Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

With hotshot Lin Chi-Chieh playing limited minutes, Chinese Taipei used a more balanced attack to defeat the feisty, but overmatched Saudi Arabia squad.

Lu Cheng-Ju led Chinese Taipei with 25 points, while their import Quincy Davis chipped in 14 points and 10 rebounds. Fan-favorite Douglas Creighton was deadly from deep as he scored 16 points in the game.

"We were not used to playing Saudi Arabia," Creighton said. "We always shoot as many shots as we can to keep our confidence up. Outside shooting is important [in] every game. If we hit our outside shots, it will be easier for our bigs down low."

With their win, Chinese Taipei now sits atop Group A. Their highly-anticipated game against Gilas-Pilipinas tomorrow could determine who tops Group A, if the home team defeats Jordan in the evening seasion.

Like their first game, it was import Quincy Davis who opened the scoring festivities for Chinese Taipei. Tien Lei added a triple on their next possession, followed by baskets from Davis and Lin Chi-Chieh for a quick 9-0 lead.

Mohammed Al-Marwani scored on a put-back at the 6:23 mark of the first period to cut Chinese Taipei's lead down to six at 12-6.

Tsai Wen-Cheng nailed a layup, followed by an undergoal stab by Davis, to give Chinese Taipei a 19-9 advantage.

Douglas Creighton swished in a triple followed by a layup, and nailed another triple with only 58 seconds left in the quarter, to stretch Chinese Taipei's lead to 16 at 30-14. Chen then added a free throw to end the first quarter with his team holding a 31-14 lead.

Marzouq Almuwallad started the second period by scoring on three straight drives to the basket, inching Saudi Arabia closer at 34-21.

However, Creighton and Yang Chin-Ming caught fire from the three-point area to give Chinese Taipei a 42-23 lead, with 3:25 left in the first half.

Jaber Kabe scored just before the buzzer sounded though, to trim the Chinese Taipei lead down to 14, 48-34.

Saudi Arabia was able to get within 10 points, 50-40, but a triple from Lu Cheng-Ju and a basket from Davis brought the Taipei advantage back up to 15.

Chinese Taipei then broke the game wide open late in the third quarter as they built a 62-42 lead. They had to settle for a 19-point buffer, 65-46, entering the fourth though.

Lu Cheng-Ju and Chou Po-Ched led the mop-up crew for Chinese Taipei towards the end of the game. Back-to-back baskets from the two gave their side an 85-63 lead with two minutes left in the game, before this one was put into the books.

Taipei led from start to finish, and got a 30-3 advantage in assists. They also scored 14 turnover points, versus five by their foes.

"We knew we had to win this game because tomorrow we'll play against the Philippines," said Chinese Taipei head coach Hsu Chin-Che.

"We watched them yesterday and we'll get to scout them later. All twelve of their players are good."  - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Chinese-Taipei 90 - Lu 25, Creighton 16, Davis III 14, Tsai 8, Lin 7, Tien 6, Yang 6, Chou 4, Hung 3, Chen 1, Tseng 0, Lee 0

Saudi Arabia 67 - A. Almuwallad 15, M. Almuwallad 14, Kabe 10, Mohammed Almarwani 6, Abo Jalas 6, Alsager 6, Mathna Almarwani 4, Abujabal 4, Alhwsawi 1, Belal 1, Almukhtar 0

Quarter scoring: 31-14, 48-34, 65-46, 90-67