Korea, Japan off to rousing start; Chinese Taipei, Philippines go 2-0 in Day 2

TEHRAN (Iran) - Korea and Japan posted dominant wins, while the Philippines and Chinese Taipei remained perfect as the FIBA U18 Asian Championship 2022 continued Monday at the Azadi Basketball Hall.

It was a debut to remember for the Koreans and the Japanese, with the former opening the second game day with a 100-63 win over India and the latter downing Lebanon by way of a decisive 84-63 result to end the night.

Chinese Taipei and Gilas, on the other hand, improved to 2-0 after dispatching their respective foes, making their clash on Tuesday an important one as the winner will emerge on top of the four-team Group C.

Chinese Taipei was the first to chalk up win no. 2, pulling away in the fourth quarter to leave Syria behind, 81-60. The Philippines followed suit with a 77-61 win over Qatar behind a big second half performance.

RESULTS
Korea 100-63 India
Chinese Taipei 81-60 Syria
Philippines 77-61 Qatar
Japan 84-73 Lebanon

TOP PERFORMERS
Lee Chae-hyung (KOR) 25 EFF 13 points, 5-10 FG, 5 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals
Yoo Min-soo (KOR) 23 EFF 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists
Chun Sheng Chang (TPE) 22 EFF 21 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals
Mason Amos (PHI) 22 EFF 19 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal
Lee Ju-yeong (KOR) 21 EFF 21 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
Chun Yen Kuo (TPE) 21 EFF 14 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals, 1 block
Kang Sung-wook (KOR) 20 EFF 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 4 steals
Yuto Kawashima (JPN) 19 EFF 22 points, 14 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block

DAILY RECAP
Korea raised the curtains of Gameday 2 with a 100-63 victory over India, deploying a balanced attack that saw four players score in double figures.

Lee Ju-yeong led the way with 21 points, while the tandem of Yoo Min-soo and Kang Sung-wook tallied 17 points apiece. But clearly the star of the show was Lee Chae-hyung, who finished 13 points, 10 assists, and 10 steals.

It was the second triple-double registered in the Asian U18 competitions since 2014, or since Flynn Cameron posted 19-10-12 to tow New Zealand past China in the U18 Asian Championship Semi-Finals back in 2018.

India, on the other hand, was led by Udit Ravish's 18 points in the loss, their second in as many games. They now sit at the bottom of Group B.

The second game of the day saw Chinese Taipei pull away in the fourth quarter en route to surviving the tough stand of Syria, 81-60.

Chen Shung Chang continued his fine play with 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists to spearhead Chinese Taipei. Hsuan Chen and Chun Yen Kuo provided ample support with 15 and 14 points, respectively.

George Kastntin made 18 points, while Jad Aldassouki had 12 to lead the Syrians, who dropped to 0-2 in Group C. They will face Qatar tomorrow in a battle of teams raring to break through in the tournament.

The Philippines then made things even more interesting in the same group following their 77-61 win over their Qatari counterparts.

Mason Amos finished with a game-high 19 points and 7 rebounds, and Jared Bahay produced 15 points for the Filipinos, who got their offense going late in the third quarter after falling behind early in the match.

Mohammed Hashim Abbazer and Moustapha Ndao, meanwhile scored 14 points apiece to lead Qatar in the failed upset bid.

Ultimately, Japan burst Lebanon's bubble with a resounding 84-63 win to snatch the leadership of Group A from the very same team they beat.

Yuto Kawashima led the Akatsuki with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds in the win that saw the crew shoot above 43-percent from the field, thanks mainly to the 27 assists they dished.

Shonryu Yaegashi and Kosei Sakamoto had 12 points each, while Akira Jacobs chipped in 10 for the Japanese, who led by as many as 28 points.

Karim Rtail had a double-double of his own to lead the Cedars, who failed to replicate their comeback win over Iran on opening night. Karl Kozah was his lone backup with 15 points as they dropped to 1-1.

FIBA