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Mike Chan

A team of Hong Kong students crashed into several human walls in a landslide loss on the opening day of the Asian University Basketball League (AUBL) in Hangzhou on Sunday.
The Chinese University of Hong Kong were humbled by Peking University in a 101-59 loss, as they failed to deal with the massive difference in their opponents’ height and physique, leaving the players “out of sorts” on the court, according to their head coach.
“The entire opposite team was taller and stronger than us; we never get to play against such players locally,” Lam Chi-fai, CUHK’s head coach, said. “Those passes into the lane we could normally complete in Hong Kong just didn’t work here; it was like playing in another world.
“We had to release the ball faster when we shot; the rhythm was completely different to what we were used to. We were outsized and outmuscled, which affected our performance.”
At 6-4, Peking produced a destructive 25-4 run to close the opening quarter and established a solid lead, but CUHK did much better in the second quarter – winning 26-20 – to cut the deficit to 17 points at half-time.

Peking came out better prepared after the restart, using a 24-0 run to put the match beyond doubt, before winning by 42 points.
Lam, who took the helm in 2022, said his team did not show their true colours in the defeat.
“Team effort and execution level of tactics were our identity on the court, but those were not to be seen today,” he said. “We were too afraid of their height, and at times overthought too much, worrying about the effectiveness of our usual plays.
“That we dared not try, or only did it at half a bucket, made it worse for us. The start of the third quarter was also disastrous; the focus of our players dropped, and there were too many turnovers. It was almost infectious, with everyone making silly mistakes. I’ve always told them that with three or four mistakes, the match is gone, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Six Peking players scored in double figures with Zhang Bowen and Angsaer Muheyati leading the scorers’ chart with 16 each. Han Xinyao led CUHK with 10 points while Yip Mau-shing, Choi Ho-tung and Ethan Wen each chipped in nine points.
Returning to the southeastern part of China after the inaugural tournament last year, three other matches were played at Binjiang Gymnasium on the first day of the eight-day tournament.
Korea University beat Hakuoh University of Japan 80-76; Shanghai Jiao Tong University, the alma mater of China’s basketball legend Yao Ming, edged past National University of Mongolia with a 61-53 win.
Tournament debutant University of Sydney lost to Tsinghua University, who finished as runner-up last August, 87-65, in the final match of the day.


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Asian University Basketball League

Hong Kong students humbled on opening day of Asian University Basketball League

Chinese University head coach Lam Chi-fai (centre) shouts instructions to his players during their thumping defeat at the hands of Peking University. Photo: AUBL

Chinese University’s Yip Mau-shing (right) slams the ball into the basket for two of his nine points against Peking University. Photo: AUBL

Sport

Basketball

Chinese University side hammered 101-59 by taller, bigger, stronger Peking opponents in Hangzhou


Chinese University side hammered 101-59 by taller, bigger, stronger Peking opponents in Hangzhou.


Peking University

Korea University

Shanghai Jiao Tong University

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong students humbled on opening day of Asian University Basketball League

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Chinese University side hammered 101-59 by taller, bigger, stronger Peking opponents in Hangzhou

Chinese University side hammered 101-59 by taller, bigger, stronger Peking opponents in Hangzhou