Taiwan bowed out of the FIBA U18 Asian Championship Wednesday following a 16-point defeat to Japan in their quarterfinal matchup in Iran.

Competing under the name “Chinese Taipei,” Taiwan lost to Japan 76-60 at Tehran’s Azadi Basketball Hall and will next play the Philippines on Friday in the fifth-place classification game on Sunday.

The upcoming matchup offers Taiwan a rematch after the team lost 84-73 to the Gilas Pilipinas youth team from the Philippines in their final Group C match on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Taiwan trailed for most of the game, shooting 19-58, or just 32.8 percent from the floor, while Japan fared slightly better with 38 percent, draining 27 buckets out of 71 attempts. Japan also had a slightly better tally on rebounds with 49, compared to Taiwan’s 42.

Struggling to catch up, Taiwan could do nothing but watch as Japan’s 17-year-old shooting guard Shonryu Yaegashi more or less sealed the win with a three-point jump shot for 76-58 separation with one minute and 19 seconds left on the clock.

From there, Japan never looked back as Taiwan’s chances of a comeback disappeared in the game’s remaining moments.

Yaegashi led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 7-11 from the floor, including 5-9 from beyond the arc. Taiwan’s 17-year-old center Kuo Chun-yen (???) led his team with 17 points.

Japan’s victory over Taiwan in the biennial tournament is its second out of five matchups since 1998.

Lebanon, Japan, China, and South Korea have advanced to the semifinals and will also represent the region in the 2023 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup.

The 2022 edition of the FIBA U18 Asian Championship is taking place in Tehran from Aug. 21-28, with 10 national teams from across Asia.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel