Pelita Jaya made sure to finish the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) Qualifiers with a win even if it’s already bound for the tournament proper.
The Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) ball club frustrated the win-hungry Hong Kong Eastern, 76-71, to finish the qualifying rounds as the only unbeaten team, Friday night at the BritAma Arena in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Reza Guntara nailed the go-ahead trey before JaQuori McLaughlin sank a floater as the two lit the fire on a 13-3 run toward a 74-66 lead with 1:06 left to play, more than enough to save themselves after losing an 11-point lead.
It was a collective effort in the endgame as the crew did not have the services of Justin Brownlee, who was apparently sat out by the coaches.
KJ McDaniels carried the load for Pelita Jaya with 31 points and 13 rebounds, together with a steal and three blocks in 37 minutes.
McLaughlin finished with 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists, while Brandon Jawato chipped in 10 markers and six boards in the victory.
Chris McLaughln, on the other hand, had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead Eastern, which finished Round 2 winless in three games.
Pelita Jaya are one of the two teams that made it to the BCL Asia through the Qualifiers, the other being NS Matrix from Malaysia.
The Deers booked their ticket following a thrilling 91-87 win over reigning IBL champions Prawira Harum Bandung earlier in the day.
In BCL Asia, Pelita Jaya and NS Matrix will join the champion teams from Japan (B.League), Korea (KBA), China (CBA League), and the Philippines (PBA), in addition to two clubs from FIBA West Asia Super League (FIBA WASL).
