CHENGDU (China) - Cathay Life capped off their impressive campaign in the FIBA Women's Basketball League Asia (WBL Asia) inaugurals by way of a 69-62 victory over Surabaya on Saturday at the Jinqiang International Event Center.
The champions from Chinese Taipei were challenged throughout the entire game and even fell behind for a large portion, but stuck to their strength in the paint to come away with the win - and finish the tournament with a 2-1 record.
Game heroes: Hsiao Yu Wen came up big for the Tigers, finishing with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds which she laced with 2 steals and 3 blocks as the teenage center continues to show how much of a future star she could be.
Lo Pin supplied 11 points and 5 rebounds as she and Hsiao helped put together the strong finish to take down the Fever. Huang Ling-Chuang added 10 points.
Turning point: Cathay Life saw their Indonesian counterparts threaten by closing within just four points, 61-57, approaching the game's last four minutes.
Chen Meng-Hsin, however, kept her cool and dished out a lead pass to Lo for a wide open fastbreak layup, which would spark a mini 6-0 run - capped by a Cheng I-Hsiu bucket - to establish a double-digit lead, 67-57, with 3:24 remaining.
Slowly, Surabaya would lose their grip. A pair of free throws by Hsiao heading into the final two minutes, plus their inability to find the mark offensively, spelled doom for them as the Tigers eventually ended their campaign on a high note.
Stats don't lie: The Fever were unable to keep the Tigers off the offensive glass, leading to 17 offensive rebounds for the latter. Cathay Life out-rebounded the Fever, 49-38, and also dominated inside with 36 points in the paint.
FIBA