GEMS CLAIM SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY AT FIBA UNDER-18 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS

A hot-shooting start from Yu-Chieh Chen saw her drill three three-pointers in the opening minutes and give Chinese Taipei an early lead.

Miela Goodchild had the response though, hitting two from long range herself and Sam Simons (seven points, five assists, four steals) had an influence at both ends of the floor, recording three assists and three steals to quarter-time.

Isobel Anstey (ten points, ten rebounds) then made her presence felt in the paint and the Gems were able to get some breathing room for the first time on the back of several second chance baskets.

They moved in front by double-digits at quarter-time and Ula Motuga (12 points) continued the charge from the front court as Australia were able to penetrate inside or clean up the glass to ensure they kept the scoreboard ticking over.

Chinese Taipei were not afraid though and kept lighting it up at their offensive end, showcasing an impressive three-point arsenal.

However, they could not get the stops defensively and Goodchild (27 points, ten rebounds) put the first nail in the coffin on the stroke of half-time with another three-pointer of her own.

The Gems only won the third term by two points but the margin was beyond Chinese Taipei’s reach by that stage with six Aussies eventually reaching double-digits and three finishing with double-doubles.

Ashlee Hannan (seven points, 12 rebounds) controlled the boards with eight offensive caroms, Isabel Palmer scored 14 points and Emma Clarke added 12 while Jaz Shelley came close to a triple-double with 11 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.

That domination on the glass gave them a 34-4 edge in second chance points while they also tallied 56 points in the paint, two areas of Australia’s game that are major advantages against most of their Asian opponents.

Find the box score here and watch the replay below.

The Gems now face Korea on Tuesday afternoon in their final game of the group stage.

A victory in that clash will automatically book their spot in the Under-19 World Cup by advancing them directly to the Semi-Finals.

If they finish second or third in their group, they will still have a chance to earn their place via a Semi-Final qualifier.

All games for the tournament will be live-streamed on the Basketball Australia Facebook page or via FIBA’s YouTube channel.

The 2018 Australian Gems Schedule for the FIBA Under-18 Asian Championships (all times AEDT):

October 28: Australia def. Indonesia (96-28)
October 29: Australia def. Chinese Taipei (106-66)
October 30: Australia vs. Korea at 4.30pm
November 1: Semi-Final Qualifier
November 2: Semi-Finals
November 3: Medal Games

The post GEMS CLAIM SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY AT FIBA UNDER-18 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS appeared first on Basketball Australia.

The Australian Gems have fought off a determined Chinese Taipei team, 106-66, to clinch their second straight win of the group stage at the FIBA Under-18 Asian Championships.

The post GEMS CLAIM SECOND STRAIGHT VICTORY AT FIBA UNDER-18 ASIAN CHAMPIONSHIPS appeared first on Basketball Australia.