'26 points, 18 rebounds' Korean basket bombed! The 211cm Taiwanese naturalized center was unstoppable. "I scored easily," he candidly shared his thoughts.

*This content was translated by AI.

Brenden Gillbeck (30, 211cm), the "naturalized center" of the Taiwan national team that toppled the South Korean men's basketball national team on home soil, spoke without hesitation after the game. While he single-handedly bombarded Korea's basket, he confidently expressed his victory by crediting the guards' support for allowing him to easily dominate the paint.

The South Korean national basketball team, led by coach Nicholas Mazulis, fell 80-82 in an extra-time battle against Taiwan in the B-group fifth match of the "2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers" held at Goyang Sono Arena on the 3rd. Korea, which had once taken a 19-point lead and seemed to have secured victory, ultimately became the victim of a stunning comeback loss after suffering from an extreme scoring drought in the fourth quarter.

The main culprit behind the cruel "Goyang tragedy" for Korea was undoubtedly Taiwan's tall center, Gillbeck. Playing 41 minutes and 35 seconds including overtime, he amassed an impressive 26 points and 18 rebounds, completely leveling Korea's paint. He also recorded five blocks. An American-born player, Gillbeck joined the Taiwan league in 2021 and acquired Taiwanese nationality in 2024 as a naturalized athlete.

Entering the official post-game press conference, Gillbeck began by saying, "It was truly a fierce and difficult victory." He added, "While I scored many points today to be sitting here, I want to give all credit for today's win to our team's guards," first praising his teammates.

Gillbeck then continued with bold remarks, referencing Korea's weak paint defense and the seamless play of their guards. He stated, "Even though our three-point shots weren't falling well today, we were able to manage the game thanks to the guards constantly penetrating against Korea and attacking the paint." He further confessed candidly, "Because the guards kept shaking up the Korean defense and opening up offensive lanes, I was able to relatively easily accumulate points by securing offensive rebounds and scoring on put-backs from the second half of the game onward."

For Korea, it was not only that they completely surrendered their home-court paint to a rival naturalized center but also suffered the painful sting of being told "I scored easily." In reality, they failed to control Gillbeck from the latter part of the game. The energy levels of veterans Jang Jae-seok (35) and Lee Seung-hyun (34) stood out as particularly lacking.

Finally, while paying respect to the defeated South Korean national team, Gillbeck showcased Taiwan basketball's tenacious strength. He reiterated, "Without our guards' dogged determination and dedication, we would never have won today." He emphasized, "This is exactly who our Taiwan team is. We are a hardworking team and fighters who fight until the end." He also noted, "Korea was a completely different team compared to the first match, and they strengthened their lineup with new players who have good height, putting on a truly excellent game," pointing out the changes in the Korean team.

Having suffered a painful comeback loss by failing to control even one naturalized center at home, South Korean basketball now faces a desperate situation where it must calculate the cruel possibilities of an fateful match against Japan alongside the misfortune of ace Lee Jung-hyun's injury.

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*This content was translated by AI.