Deqing, China, October 1, 2023: Lin Sin Kuan sank two late free throws to lead Chinese Taipei to an 18-16 victory over Qatar in the Asian Games men’s 3x3 basketball gold medal game in a hard-fought battle on Sunday night at Deqing Park Court.
Qatar moved out to an 8-1 lead early before Chinese Taipei pulled within 9-7 and kept chipping away. Chinese Taipei prevailed despite being at a height disadvantage as they used tight defense and aggressiveness on offense throughout the game.
Chinese Taipei kept it close and finally moved ahead 18-16 on a pair of free throws by Lin with nine seconds remaining and won as Qatar’s Hamad Mousa missed a long two-point attempt with two seconds on the clock before regulation time expired.
Lin led Chinese Taipei with seven points, with Chiang Chun adding six to the final tally.
Omar Saad was the leading scorer with six points for Qatar in the loss.
Lin was asked if he thought his team could come back from the big deficit.
“Actually I can’t say whether it’s belief or not, we actually played in the moment,” Lin stated. “At the very beginning we were behind by seven points, but we didn’t actually notice it, because we put everything into the game.”
Added Lin’s teammate Yu Xiang-Ping, “We are, of course, very happy and it’s an unforgettable experience. I feel like my dream came true. We thought it was mission impossible, but we made it.”
Qatar’s Ahmad Mohamad rued the lost opportunity for his team.
“It was mainly our fault,” Mohamad said. “We gave them the win, we did not lose. We gave them the win and they took advantage of that, which is good on them.”
*Mongolia edged Korea 21-20 to take the bronze as Sukhbat Batzorig and Ulzii-Orshikh Myagmarsuren teamed up for 17 points in the victory. Lee Weon Seok paced Korea with nine points in the defeat.
China claims women's title
China used good ball movement and interior defense to beat Mongolia 21-12 in the women's final. China was in control for most of the contest and capitalized on their superior height.
Wan Jiyuan was China’s top scorer with nine points in the win.
“In Asia, our height and body shape have advantages, which is to leverage our strengths,” China’s Chen Mingling remarked.
Chen identified the next goal for the squad.
“It’s about striving for better results and breaking through at the Olympics.”
Ariuntsetseg Bat-Erdene led Mongolia with six points in the defeat.
*In earlier action, Mayu Kubota combined with Karin Imori to score 18 points as Japan downed Chinese Taipei 21-13 in the women’s bronze medal game. Kuo Hung Ting led Chinese Taipei with six points in the loss.