Lester Prosper and Brandon Jawato made a statement in their debut for Indonesia.
Behind the talented duo, Indonesia romped Thailand, 90-76, in their only game in the Manama window of the 2021 FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers, Saturday evening at Khalifa Sport City in Bahrain.
Naturalized Indonesian Prosper was previously the 6-foot-9 import of Columbian during the 2019 PBA Governor’s Cup. In the game, he tallied 19 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field and 7-of-9 from the charity stripe with 13 rebounds and two steals.
On the other hand, Indonesian-American Jawato — who was classified by FIBA as a local last week — scattered 22 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
And with the two leading the charge, Indonesia was able to claw back from a 23-34 second quarter deficit to gain a 48-47 lead at the half.
It was all Indonesia from there, as it locked down Thailand in the second half. The Indonesians led by as much as 19 points, 90-71, with two minutes left in the game.
Also contributing for the Rajko Toroman-mentored squad were veteran Abraham Grahita, who had 22 points and six boards; and Andakara Dhyaksa, who added 15 points built on three triples.
This is Indonesia’s first win in the Qualifiers. It bowed to South Korea (76-109) and Gilas (70-100) in the first window.
Nattakarn Muangboon and Chanatip Jakrawan put up a brave stand for the 0-3 Thais.
Muangboon, who played all 40 minutes for the 10-man Thai squad, had 32 points, eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals. Meanwhile, Jakrawan scored 15 points and hauled 13 boards.
Thailand will still face Gilas on Monday at 9:00PM (Manila time).
