Hong Kong students humbled on opening day of Asian University Basketball League
Chinese University side hammered 101-59 by taller, bigger, stronger Peking opponents in Hangzhou
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.