Cast for Round 2 of Basketball Champions League Asia Qualifiers all set

ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - The four-team field for Round 2 of the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) Qualifiers have been confirmed.

Pelita Jaya Basketball and Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team were the first two teams to qualify with Prawira Harum Bandung and the NS Matrix Deers completing the cast as the two earned their tickets through the Qualification to Round 2 knockouts on Sunday night.

Reigning champions of the HKBA A1 Division, Eastern were the very first to book their slot after clinching the top seed in Group A still with a game left in their schedule, thanks to the assist by NS Matrix winning against Bishrelt Metal on Day 2.

Pelita Jaya then followed suit as the 2022-23 Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) finalists secured the no. 1 seed in Group B on the same day following a victory over the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos in front of a sold-out crowd at the UG Arena.

The Broncos had one last chance to make it to the next round but Prawira ended their aspirations by taking the 94-83 victory in their Qualification to Round 2 meeting, making the defending IBL champions the third club to reach the next stage.

Completing the field were the NS Matrix Deers, Major Basketball League (MBL) champions from Malaysia, following their 96-93 escape of Thailand's Hi-Tech Basketball Club in a thrilling wrap-up to the five-day competition.

Round 2 of the BCL Asia Qualifiers is set for April 23-25 in Indonesia, where the top two teams at the end of the single round-robin elimination will head to the BCL Asia proper.

There, the two will be joining Champion teams from Japan (B.League), Korea (KBL), China (CBA League), the Philippines (PBA), and two clubs from the FIBA West Asia Super League.

FIBA