TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan's men's basketball team celebrated a breakthrough victory in the group stage of the World University Games in the Rhine-Ruhr Monday (July 21), defeating Chile 72-54 in a commanding performance. This win marked their first success in the preliminary round after a challenging start against Germany in the opening match. The victory provided crucial momentum for the team's hopes of advancing beyond the group stage in the prestigious international collegiate competition that brings together university athletes from around the world.
Sung Hsin-hao (宋昕澔) led Taiwan with 22 points as the team launched a decisive 28-8 run in the fourth quarter, dramatically overturning the score against their Chilean opponents. The squad, primarily composed of National Chengchi University (NCCU,國立政治大學) players, faced shooting difficulties in the first half, trailing 13-17 in the first quarter and 23-32 at halftime. The dramatic turnaround showcased Taiwan's resilience and ability to execute under pressure in crucial moments, transforming what appeared to be another disappointing result into a morale-boosting victory that could define their tournament campaign.
Taiwan improved its performance in the second half, executing a crucial 21-14 run in the third quarter to close the gap to 44-46 and set up their fourth-quarter surge. Besides Sung, only Hsu Te-chi (徐得祈) reached double figures, contributing 11 points to the victory that kept Taiwan's tournament hopes alive. The team will face Finland at 8:30 p.m. Monday, with the winner advancing to the quarterfinals in this high-stakes elimination match. Taiwan's women's basketball team concluded their preliminary round with a 40-81 loss to Germany, finishing winless and missing advancement opportunities in their tournament campaign. ◼
