BASKETBALL/Taiwan opens FIBA Asia Cup with win over Philippines

Taipei, Aug. 6 (CNA) Taiwan opened its FIBA Asia Cup campaign in Saudi Arabia with a 95-87 win over the Philippines on Wednesday, powered by a 34-point performance from star guard Chen Ying-chun (陳盈駿).

The result was critical for Taiwan's chances of advancing to the tournament's quarterfinals from its tough preliminary round Group B, which also includes New Zealand and Iraq. A first-place finish in the group would give Taiwan a direct spot in the quarterfinals.

Taiwan took control of the game early against the Philippines, and held an 11-point lead after the first quarter.

It never relinquished the lead, though the Philippines mounted a fourth-quarter comeback to narrow Taiwan's lead to 80-74 before Chen hit a step-back jumper from behind the arc with 4:17 to go widen the lead.

Just 14 seconds earlier, Justin Brownlee, the Philippines' top scorer, fouled out, and that blow combined with Chen's 3-pointer killed the Philippines' momentum.

For Taiwan, Chen led all scorers with 34 points, including six three-pointers. Naturalized center Brandon Gilbeck contributed 16 points and 9 rebounds, while Lin Ting-chien (林庭謙) and Robert Hinton each added 14 points.

After the game, head coach Gianluca Tucci praised the team's effort and Chen's leadership. "He was outstanding, and the team gave him the space to perform," Tucci said. "Even though we missed 21 offensive rebounds, we never stopped fighting."

However, the post-game press conference was marred by controversy when the host mistakenly referred to Taiwan as "China Taipei" instead of the correct "Chinese Taipei," and also misidentified several coaches and players.

In response, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association said it will lodge a formal protest, demanding stricter oversight to prevent future incidents.