Taiwan’s national basketball team began its campaign for a spot in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup with a tough road matchup against Japan on Thursday. despite a strong showing from Kai-Kai Gao, who lead all scorers with 23 points, the team struggled with turnovers and fell to a 90-64 defeat [[3]].The loss marks the first of the qualifying tournament for Taiwan, who is grouped with Japan, South Korea, and China [[1]].
Yuta Watanabe (right). (Photo from FIBA official website)
Taiwan’s national team suffered its first defeat in the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup Asian Qualifiers on Thursday, falling 90-64 to Japan. Kai-Kai Gao led all scorers with 23 points, while Jun-翔 Lu added 14 points as the team’s top domestic performer, but a staggering 19 turnovers ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Taiwan is grouped with Japan, South Korea, and China for the first round of World Cup qualifying. They opened their campaign on the road against Japan, starting with a lineup of Yin-Chun Chen, Ting-Chien Lin, Gui-Yu Zhou, Jun-翔 Lu, and newcomer Kai-Kai Gao.
Taiwan struggled to find its rhythm early, committing several unforced errors and facing intense defensive pressure from Japan. Only Kai-Kai Gao managed to reach double figures in the first half, scoring 13 points, while key offensive threats Yin-Chun Chen and Ting-Chien Lin were effectively neutralized, managing only a handful of points. Japan, led by Yuta Watanabe and Keisei Tominaga, built a commanding 45-22 lead by halftime.
Early in the third quarter, Taiwan’s key big man, Kai-Kai Gao, appeared to sustain an injury and was forced to leave the game temporarily, with Xiang-Jun Zeng stepping in to fill the void. The Taiwanese squad fell behind by as many as 30 points, but a late surge from Jun-翔 Lu and Ting-Chien Lin helped them close the gap slightly, entering the fourth quarter trailing 67-44.
Jun-翔 Lu sparked a brief rally in the final period with a three-pointer and a dunk from Gao, but Japan maintained a comfortable 20-point advantage, ultimately securing the victory. The loss drops Taiwan to 0-1 in group play as they look to rebound in their next qualifying match.
Three Taiwanese players finished with double-digit scoring totals, but the team shot just 37.5% from the field and was outrebounded by Japan 52-36. Kai-Kai Gao paced the offense with 23 points and 4 rebounds, while Jun-翔 Lu contributed 14 points and 9 rebounds, and Ting-Chien Lin added 13 points. For Japan, Yuta Watanabe led the way with a game-high 20 points, while Josh Hawkinson and Yuta 馬場 both chipped in with 14 points apiece.
Jun-翔 Lu. (Photo from FIBA official website)
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