TAOYUAN CITY, Taiwan — With all the pomp and circumstance of an Olympic medal ceremony, the Humboldt State men’s basketball team was crowned champion of the Kainan International Basketball Invitational on Thursday.
HSU earned the honor, awarded in front of a packed gym at Kainan University, by defeating Bond University of Australia, 102-94. Finishing with four wins in four days, the Lumberjacks were pressed to play their best by the experienced and crafty Bond squad.
Having adapted to the 24-second clock and international rules, the Jacks went over the century mark for the second time in Taiwan. Leading the way were Kyle Baxter, with 21 points, Zac Tiedeman, with 20, and Ernie Spada, Kevin Atkins and Brian Morris, all with 12.
Atkins added a team-high 11 rebounds and Morris grabbed nine for HSU. Tiedemaan also dished six assists before leaving the game with seven minutes remaining because of an ankle sprain.
HSU edged ahead, 25-22, following the first quarter and led by as many as seven points early. But the resilient Bond team rallied, taking a 26-24 lead behind the hot shooting of American citizen John Ewing, a doctorate student at the university down under.
At halftime, the Jacks held a 47-43 lead, and gained a 14-point lead before Bond closed within 10 by the end of the third quarter. The Aussies scored the first seven points of the fourth period to pull within three points again, but key baskets by Morris and Baxter down the stretch helped the Jacks prevail.
Bond was limited by foul trouble to 6-9 Matt Zauner, but the Jacks also experienced issues with whistles down low. Both Morris and Atkins played most of the final quarter with four fouls. Ewing finished 22 points to top the Australian team.
Following the game, Kainan University president Dr. An-Pang Kao presented the awards to the HSU, runner-up Bond, third-place finisher National Taiwan Normal University and fourth-place University of Tokyo. Earlier in the day, the Lumberjacks joined the other three international teams in an autograph session, posing for photos and signing their names for hundreds of Kainan students.
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