Lamb erupts for 36 as Thailand secure Asia Cup Qualifiers ticket; Guam stay perfect

ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Thailand became the latest to hop on the flight en route to the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers following a 101-88 blowout of Hong Kong, Saturday evening at the UG Arena in Ulaanbaatar.

Tyler Lamb exploded for a team Pre-Qualifiers record 36 points, 26 of which he produced in the second half to guide the Southeast Asian side in gaining control of the match after engaging in a nip-and-tuck affair with the opposition.

Game was tied at 61-all with under three minutes left in the third quarter but the national team veteran broke the deadlock through a perfect trip to the foul line, and that sparked a 12-4 rally to end the period with a 73-65 lead.

Thailand would never relinquish their hold of the driver's seat on the way to becoming the sixth team to reach the Asia Cup Qualifiers after Palestine, Iraq, Qatar, UAE, and Guam, who were the first to do so from Group F Friday night.

Moses Morgan also had a hand in the triumph with 19 points. Anasawee Klaewnarong supplied 12 points off the bench while Freddie Lish added 10 markers and 7 assists for the Thais, who improved to 3-1 in the standings.

Marco Leung had 18 points to lead Hong Kong in the loss, which dragged their record to 1-3. Oliver Xu and Yiu Ping Yip added 16 and 14 markers, respectively.

The gameday opener saw Guam remain relentless despite booking a spot to the ACQ Friday after taking down Malaysia through a 75-64 decision.

Earnest Ross Jr. led the pack with 25 points spiked by four triples, none bigger than the one he nailed to open the third canto as it sparked a 13-0 run towards a 46-34 lead that completely shifted the momentum in their favor.

He also collected 9 rebounds and a game-high 4 steals in the victory that stretch their unbeaten run to four games in a streak dating back to the First Round.

Jonathan Galloway made his presence felt as well with 14 points 8 rebounds. Ditto with Tomas Calvo as he chimed in 11 markers off the bench.

Ting Chun Hong, meanwhile, finished with 24 points and 8 rebounds for the Harimau, who held a 23-16 lead early before totally collapsing after the halftime break that ultimately led to their first loss of the Second Round.

FIBA