By the time the buzzer sounded on Chinese Taipei's loss to Qatar on Wednesday, coach Hsu Chin-Tse knew they were in for a tough game in the quarterfinals.

Chinese Taipei had swept all its matches in the first round, including a five-point game against the Philippines that left the hometown crowd in shock. But when it encountered Qatar in a game that would determine the quarterfinal placings, it ran into a rock-solid defense, losing by 7.

Thus, the Taiwanese, who were favoured top Group E, fell to second place - and faced Group F third-placer China.

China itself encountered some rough spots in the group stages. After falling to a determined Korean team, it set a tournament record of sorts the next day, beating Malaysia by 91. Minus injured ex-NBA player Yi Jianlian, however, they struggled against the mighty Iran squad and lost by 19.

Yi finally played against Bahrain in preparation for the quarterfinals, scoring 12 points in 13 minutes of action, as China coach Giannakis Panagiotis eased him back into the rotation. He would start Friday's game against Chinese Taipei, scoring 6 points as his team led 28-20 at the end of the first quarter. Chinese Taipei, though, had the last laugh as Hung Chih-Shan drilled in a three-pointer from halfcourt as time expired, trimming what was at one point a fifteen-point lead to just 10.

After halftime, Chinese Taipei sparked a 10-0 run that tied the game with 7:20 left in the third quarter, forcing the Chinese coaching staff to sue for time. Yi Jianlian, however, quelled the uprising with a breakaway slam, but not before Chinese Taipei grabbed the lead on a three-pointer. The third quarter ended 71-62 in favor of the Chinese Taipei, silencing the sizable Chinese crowd at the arena.

In the last period, Chinese Taipei sustained their momentum behind naturalized center Quincy Davis III and forward Tsai Wen-Cheng, who finished with 26 and 21 points, respectively, in helping Chinese Taipei win their quarterfinal matchup 96-78. Five CT players finished in double digits, while Yi Jianlian led China with 20. Chinese Taipei will face Iran in the semifinals.