Taiwan defeats Australia in 1st round of Jones Cup

台灣隊在瓊斯盃第一輪擊敗澳洲隊

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan (Blue) defeated Australia by a score of 90-56 on Saturday, the first day of the 44th William Jones Cup men's basketball tournament at New Taipei's Xinzhuang Gymnasium.

All 12 players of the team scored, with Taiwanese American Robert Hinton leading the charge with a team-high 16 points. The next opponent for the team will be last year's champion, the Philippines, in a highly anticipated showdown set for Sunday at 7 p.m., per TVBS.

The Jones Cup has been held annually since 1977 and is organized by Taiwan's basketball association. It was named in honor of basketball promoter Renato William Jones, who was one of the founders of the International Basketball Federation.

The tournament invites professional, collegiate, and national teams from around the world. As the host of the tournament, Taiwan is represented by two teams (Blue and White). The tournament also includes women's competition that follows a similar format.

This year's men's tournament features nine teams, with those not previously mentioned including Japan, Qatar, Bahrain, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates. Competition continues throughout the week and will be broadcast on local television stations, with tickets still available online.

The Blue team is comprised of older, more experienced players, while the White team is reserved for younger, developmental prospects. The first half of the game for Taiwan (Blue) saw it run out to a halftime lead of 54-16, led by high-flying dunks by Taiwanese American brothers Robert and Adam Hinton.

The team was also led by Lin Bing-sheng (林秉聖), who showed off his ball-handling skills to the delight of the audience. Taiwan (Blue) also played strong defense and never let the Australian side back into the game.

In related news, the Taiwan (White) team faced Malaysia's national team on Saturday. The team was behind by four points at halftime, but due to balanced scoring with six players in double digits, eventually pulled ahead for a 78-63 victory.

This year's Jones Cup features a fast-paced schedule with each team competing in eight games over nine days.