Taiwan men's basketball team defeated Qatar 91:69, ranked second in the preliminary group and advanced to the top 8

Zeng Xiangjun. (File photo)

[Reporter Nian Miaoyun/Comprehensive Report] Taiwan’s men’s basketball team went all out in the final match of the preliminaries today, defeating Qatar 91:69 and advancing to the top 8 with 2 wins and 1 loss, ranking second in the group. Head coach Tucci mentioned after the game that the team not only effectively suppressed Qatar's firepower defensively, but also sent out 26 assists in the game. He highly praised the team's performance and emphasized that this key victory was dedicated to Zeng Xiangjun, the penalty area general who was absent due to injury.

Facing Qatar, which had defeated Iran, the Taiwanese team showed determination to win at the beginning, suppressing the opponent's score to 27 points in the first half. Tucci pointed out that this was a game that was both offensive and defensive. "We executed the tactics very well on both offense and defense. We handed out 26 assists in the game, which created many open shooting opportunities for us, especially from the three-point perimeter." Being able to stand out from the group of death, Tucci bluntly said that this is a great result. He also gave credit to all members, "Everyone is always ready, and the efforts of the coaching staff are also indispensable."

Regarding Gao Baikai's foul control and penalty area defense, Tucci particularly emphasized the importance of teamwork. "Protecting the penalty area is not just the responsibility of the big man, but the homework of the whole team. In the past, when Gao Baikai got into foul trouble, it was often because his teammates rotated too slowly, causing him to over-defend. Today, all five players on the court perfectly executed defensive rotations and rushed for rebounds, and the details were better."

In the previous match against Iran, Zeng Xiangjun was severely fouled by an opponent and suffered a heavy fall, which resulted in an injury to his left hand. Mentioning his condition, Tucci confirmed that Zeng Xiangjun suffered a serious fracture of three fingers on one hand due to a serious foul by his opponent. Tucci said: "I want to dedicate this victory to Xiangjun. This is a very serious injury. We hope he can recover smoothly and believe he will continue to support us until the end of the game."