Gao Guo-hao's fourth-quarter surge leads Taiwan White to comeback win over Malaysia

Taiwan White secured their first victory in the 45th William Jones Cup International Basketball Invitational, defeating Malaysia 82-72 in a comeback win. Gao Guo-hao was the star of the game, scoring 25 points, with a crucial 10 points in the final quarter.

Gao continued his strong performance from the previous game, where he scored 21 points. He started strong against Malaysia, hitting two three-pointers and scoring 12 points in the first quarter to give Taiwan an early lead. However, Malaysia fought back, outscoring Taiwan 17-5 in the second quarter to take a 41-37 lead by halftime.

Taiwan White rallied in the third quarter, narrowing the deficit to 67-65. In the decisive fourth quarter, with Taiwan trailing by two points, Gao stepped up again. He hit two consecutive three-pointers and then assisted Bai Yao-cheng for a layup, sparking a 10-0 run that sealed the victory. Gao added another three-pointer just before the final buzzer.

In addition to Gao's 25 points, Taiwan White had three other players score in double figures: Lin Xian-wei with 13 points, Liu Geng-hao with 12, and Zhang Yu-wei with 11. Hu Jin-hao added 9 points and 7 rebounds. Both Taiwan White and Malaysia now have a 1-1 record in the preliminary round.