*This content was translated by AI.
Taiwan basketball fell into a frenzy by destroying its rival Korea at home. It was a perfect victory that washed away the nine-year-old "holiday fever."
South Korea's men's basketball team, led by head coach Nikolais Marjules (Latvia), lost 65-77 to Taiwan in the third Group B match of the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian qualifying round at Taipei's Shinjuang Gymnasium on the 26th.
It was a complete defeat. According to FIBA records, Taiwan led for 33 minutes and 59 seconds. South Korea led only 5 minutes and 17 seconds. Taiwan was overwhelmed, running to a whopping 20 points.
Multiple local media, including Taiwan FTNN, gave the meaning that Taiwan beat Korean basketball for the first time in nine years. This is because it won a complete victory against South Korea, which has never won since the 2017 East Asian Basketball Championship. FTNN said, "Taiwan maintained the lead all the time on this day," adding, "It showed off its balanced offense across all positions."
Another Taiwanese journalist, WOWSight, said, "In particular, we succeeded in tying Korean ace and shooter Lee Hyun-joong to 18 points. In addition, he cited the approval, saying, "I blocked the Korean national team's three points well." On the day, the Korean national team attempted 33 three points, but scored only eight. In terms of success rate, it is 24.2 percent. Taiwan threw 17 3-pointers and scored only four. Taiwan's three-point shooting success rate was 23.5%.
In particular, the presence of Brandon Gilbeck (30·213cm), a naturalized Taiwanese player, was decisive. U.S.-born Gilbeck played 30 minutes and 4 seconds, scoring 18 points and 16 rebounds, devastating South Korea's bottom of the net. Taiwanese media praised Gilbeck's "under-the-goal holdout was like a huge barrier for Korean players," adding, "He recreated the glory of Quincy Davis's time in 2014."
Taiwan's national team, whose morale is soaring with a big victory in against South Korea / vs. Korea, will now move to Manila, Philippines, to play the fourth round of the preliminary round against China on March 1. On the other hand, the Korean national team will now move to Okinawa, Japan, and try to win the Marjules' first victory against Japan on March 1.
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*This content was translated by AI.
