Can Chinese Taipei exact revenge on the Philippines?

TAIPEI (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - The Philippines narrowly defeated Chinese Taipei in the first window of the Asian Qualifiers, but the latter are ready to exact revenge at home.

One may recall how Gilas Pilipinas staved off an aggressive and pesky Chinese Taipei quintet last November, 90-83. Naturalized center Andray Blatche struggled in that ballgame, but Jayson Castro and June Mar Fajardo stepped up to carry the scoring cudgels.

This time around, Taipei are playing on home soil, and they are raring to get not just vengeance but even bigger chances of moving to the second round. Quincy Davis, Chou Yi-Hsiang and Huang Jhen were their top-scorers the last time they faced the Philippines, with just Huang not making it to the pool for this window.

One key matchup in this encounter will be the one between the two naturalized centers - Quincy Davis of Chinese Taipei and Andray Blatche of the Philippines. Davis caught fire in the early-goings of their previous match against the Philippines, and he needs to put up big numbers again if they are to give Gilas Pilipinas some payback. Davis waxed hot early and often in their first game against Gilas Pilipinas, and that's something the Filipinos' own naturalized player, Andray Blatche, should try to prevent from happening again.

The battle in the backcourt will be one to watch as well, especially the marquee matchup between Chinese Taipei's Chen Ying-Chun and Chiang Yu-An opposite the Philippines' Jayson Castro and the returning Terrence Romeo. Chen missed Taipei's first Asian Qualifiers meeting with the Philippines, but he is expected to play a vital role here as they try to punch their second round tickets and virtually send Japan out of contention. He may have his hands full against Castro, though, who scored 20 points against Chinese Taipei last November, and who is ready to show the young ones that he is still among the continent's elite guards. Chiang, meanwhile, will need to be an effective playmaker and find his teammates in good scoring positions, while Romeo's explosiveness is something that Taipei coach Chou Chun-San will certainly have to keep in check.

To counter the Filipinos' size and dribble-drive offense, Chinese Taipei maximized their perimeter game. Outside shooting was one big factor that gave them a prime chance to upset the Philippines in the first window, and it should remain a critical aspect of their game-plan here. If Taipei can sink upwards of 10 threes in this matchup, they will have a golden opportunity to gain their second victory. That means guards and wingmen like Chou Yi-Hsiang, Liu Cheng, Chen and Chiang have to hit those long toms with consistency.

On the other end, the Filipinos absolutely dominated Chinese Taipei in the paint during their last game. Gilas out-rebounded Taipei, 46-37, had more shot-blocks, 10-1, and had more points in the paint, 48-32. For Chinese Taipei to rough up the Philippines, they will need to not only be accurate from beyond the arc but also put up a tougher stand in the paint against the bigger Filipinos. Otherwise, the Philippines will bully them into submission with the tandem of Blatche and PBA MVP June Mar Fajardo around the basket in addition to the relentless attacks of Castro and Romeo.

FIBA