2013 FIBA Asia Championship: Taipei edges Japan late for first place in Group E

(Updated 4:56pm) Chinese-Taipei kept its undefeated streak alive, notching a narrow 79-76 victory over Japan, Tuesday in the second round of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, held at the MOA Arena.

Japan falls to 1-3, but will still likely advance to the quarterfinals if they defeat Jordan in their final assignment. Chinese Taipei on the other hand improves to 4-0, to take the lead atop Group E. Should Qatar defeat host team the Philippines later today, Qatar and Taipei will play for the top spot in the group tomorrow.

In the fourth quarter, Japan leaned on their defense to catch up, including a crucial half-court trap against Lin Chih-Cheih that led to a Ryota Sakurai layup on the other end, 74-43. But Lin made amends, driving to the hoop for an and-one, 77-73, with 44 ticks remaining.

Japan called for time, but unfortunately for them, could not come closer. Naoto Tsuji missed a three-pointer on the next possession and had to resort to intentional fouls to preserve the clock. They sent Tseng Wun-Tin to the line with 25 seconds left in the game, and he made both tries from the charity stripe.

With 10 seconds left, Naoto tried another trey and was fouled from beyond the arc. He made three free throws, but Chinese Taipei called timeout to inbound the ball safely, holding on to the win.

Tseng top-scored for Chinese Taipei with 19 points, while Lin had 16 points and six rebounds. Tien Lei and Chen Shih-Chieh added 10 points apiece, and the former scattered six rebounds and five assists.

Japan held an 11-2 advantage early in the first quarter, thanks to streaky outside shooting by Kosuke Kanamaru. But Chinese Taipei connected on back-to-back triples courtesy of Lin Chih-Cheih and Lu Cheng Ju, overwhelming Japan in a 14-6 run that demolished the deficit and put them on top, 17-16, with four minutes to play.

However, Kanamaru ensured that Japan would keep the lead for the rest of the quarter, scoring five of their last eight to end the quarter ahead, 25-22.

In the second period, Chinese Taipei tightened up their interior defense and pushed the ball off stops, as they snared a 29-28 lead via a Chen Shih-Cheh drive. But they didn't lead by more than four points, as Japan trailed 38-37 on an open Kosuke Takeuchi layup with three minutes left. However, they did concede just one more field goal from Japan the rest of the way, taking a 44-41 lead at halftime.

After two quarters, Chinese Taipei had a 20-10 spread in points in the paint.

Japan caught Chinese Taipei flat-footed when play resumed, as they picked off passes for easy hoops on the other end. Japan went on a 10-1 romp, before Chinese Taipei registered their first field goal, a Tseng Wun-Ting layup with five and a half minutes left, 51-47.

That led to the turning point for Chinese Taipei as Chen Shih-Chieh drew an unsportsmanlike foul in the open court after Japan missed on their previous possession. He made both charities, and Tseng nailed a long two on the bonus possession to equalize, 51-51.

Save for a Daiki Tanaka triple, Japan struggled from the field in the last four minutes while Lin and Tseng did their damage in the paint. But they caught a break as Atsuya Ota managed a tip-in with 23 seconds to play, to have Japan trail by just two, 61-59, heading into the final frame.

Tien Lei helped fend off a come-backing Japan in the fourth quarter. However they lost Chen after he had a bad fall after securing a rebound. With four minutes left, Chinese Taipei led, 71-67, and they were able to hang on until the final buzzer sounded.

Chinese Taipei shot 26-of-67 (39 percent) from the field against Japan's 29-of-64 (45 percent) mark. The difference lay in free throws, where the winners were 21-of-24 (88 percent) against Japan's 13-of-18 (72 percent).

Kosuke Takeuchi led Japan with 17 points and seven rebounds. Kosuke Kanamaru tallied 14 markers, Ryota Sakurai added 13 points and eight assists, while JR Sakuragi registered 10 points and 12 rebounds. - AMD, GMA News


The scores:

Taipei 79 - Tseng 19, Lin 16, Tien 10, Chen 10, Davis III 8, Tsai 7, Lu 6, Yang 3, Lee 0, Hung 0, Chou 0, Creighton 0

Japan 76 - Takeuchi 17, Kanamaru 14, Sakurai 13, Sakuragi 10, Tanaka 8, Tsuji 6, Kurihara 5, Ota 2, Ichioka 1, Hiejima 0

Quarter scoring: 22-25, 44-41, 61-59, 79-76