FIBA Asia - Red-hot Taipei rolling in Manila

MANILA (FIBA Asia Championship) - In the game of the tournament to date, Chinese Taipei showed they have Spain 2014 on their minds with a heart-stopping 84-79 win over hosts the Philippines on Day 3 of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship.

Shooting an incredible 15-of-30 from long range, Taipei survived a third-quarter masterpiece from Philippines guard Larry Fonacier (21 points, 5/7 three-pointers), who nailed 16 points for the period as his team extended a one-point half-time edge into double figures.

But just as the wave of sound from the home crowd looked set to carry the Smart Gilas home, Lin Chih-Chieh (20 points, 12 assists, 9 rebounds) and Tseng Wen-Ting (16 points, 5 assists) pulled out the big plays to steal an unlikely victory and first place in Group A.

With Yi Jianlian rested, China had no answer for Iran's high-paced game, with Samad Nikkhah Bahrami (10 points, 8 assists) on fire early as his team opened up a double-figure lead before cruising to a 70-51 victory and top of Group C.

Iran barely allowed the defending champs an open look as their swarming defense forced 22 turnovers, while at the other end four Iranians scored in double figures in an impressive display.

An incredible 18-point first quarter from Jarvis Hayes blew Hong Kong out of the water as Qatar prevailed 87-64 to finish Group B undefeated.

Hong Kong never gave in, receiving great service from Chan Siu Wing (18 points), but ultimately the skill of Hayes (25 points) and Daoud Mosa Daoud (17 points, 5 rebounds) proved too much.

Malaysia bounced back from two frightful defeats to show their fighting qualities, trailing Korea by just 10 points at three-quarter-time before falling 80-58.

Kuek Tian Yuen produced an outstanding 25 points on 67 per cent shooting for Malaysia, while Lee Seung Jun did not miss a field goal on his way to 18 points and nine boards for Korea.

A 24-10 third quarter delivered Kazakhstan an important 80-67 win over India to finish Group D unbeaten.

Mikhail Yevstigneyev led the way for the victors with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting, with Vishesh Bhriguvanshi (19 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists) again the standout for India.

Bahrain secured their passage to the second round with an 86-62 win over Thailand, a 43-27 second half crucial as Mohamed Alderazi (21 points) and Chester Giles (18 points, 18 rebounds) continued their strong tournaments.

In the final game of the Preliminary Round, Jordan also progressed to the next stage with a hard-fought 63-47 win over the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The second round commences on Monday with 12 teams vying for a place in the Quarter-Finals.

For full and in-depth coverage of the 2013 FIBA Asia Championship, go to the official website http://manila2013.fibaasia.net.

FIBA