Taiwan beats Mongolia, wins Asian Championship seed

ShuLong Yu

Taiwan defeated Mongolia 85-71 Saturday in Nanjing, China to win Group B in the 2011 East Asian Basketball Championship and virtually secure a berth in the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship for Men.

The 2011 EABC serves as the qualifying tournament for the 2011 FIBA Asia Championship. Taiwan will meet the Group A winner -- either China or Korea -- in the semifinal on June 14.

Regardless of the results in the semifinal round, Taiwan has secured a seat in the FIBA Asia Championship since the three best teams, excluding China, qualify for the tournament, which will be held in Wuhan, Hubei, China from September 15 to 25.

Chien Chia-Hung (197-F-87), Su Yi-chieh and Lu Cheng-ju each scored 13 points in the win over Mongolia as five Taiwanese players reached double-figure. James Mao had 12 while opening game hero Chen Hsin-an added 10.

Point guard Lee Hsueh-lin had nine points and six assists.