Rosser, Johnson clutch for NS Matrix; Pelita Jaya finish Qualifiers unbeaten

JAKARTA (Indonesia) - The NS Matrix Deers punched their ticket to the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) following a pulsating 91-87 overtime victory over Prawira Harum Bandung in the Qualifiers' final day, Friday night at the BritAma Arena.

 

Damion Rosser led the way with 25 points, while Taishaun Johnson finished with 24 points and 8 assists as the reinforcements conspired in the extra period to save the Malaysian champions, which squandered a 15-point lead and trailed, 81-82, with 1:30 remaining.

 

Rosser scored four points in a row, capped off by a two-handed alley-oop jam off an Ong Wei Yong lob, to give themselves the lead for good, 85-82, with 1:13 on the clock.

Johnson would come in to contribute afterwards to repel their gutsy foes, going a perfect 4-of-4 in his two trips to the charity stripe inside the final 21.6 to seal the victory - and their place in the continent's highest club competition formerly known as the Champions Cup.

Rosser scored 11 of their 15 points in OT to lead NS Matrix in joining Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) outfit Pelita Jaya Basketball in the tournament proper.

Helping deliver the win as well were Jordan Tolbert with his 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Ting Chun Hong with a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Their collective showing put to waste the efforts of Brandone Francis in strapping Prawira on his back. Francis finished with a game-high 31 points and 5 rebounds in the defeat.

James Gist supplied 18 points and 9 rebounds while Yudha Saputera chipped in 10 for the reigning IBL champions, who ended Round 2 with a 1-2 card.

Perfect run for Pelita Jaya

Meanwhile, Pelita Jaya overcame the gallant stand of Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team, 76-71, in the final game of the Qualifiers to finish the tournament unscathed.

 

Reza Guntara knocked down the go-ahead triple with 3:44 to go, before JaQuori McLaughlin followed it up with a teardrop shot as the two sparked the decisive 13-3 run towards a 74-66 lead with 64 seconds left to save themselves after losing an 11-point advantage.

 

Helping apply the finishing touches in that assault was KJ McDaniels to cap off his impressive outing, which saw him finish with 31 points and 13 rebounds as the former NBA veteran willed a team that played without his fellow reinforcement in Justin Brownlee.

McLaughlin finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, while Brandon Jawato chipped in 10 points and 6 rebounds for Pelita Jaya, which ended the Qualifiers with a 6-0 overall record - they swept Round 1 in Ulaanbaatar before going 3-0 again in Round 2 at home.

Chris McLaughln, meanwhile, had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead HK Eastern, which finished Round 2 winless in three games. Isaiah Eisendorf and Yiu Pong Yip added 12 each.

Stats of the day

Points - 31 (Brandone Francis, Prawira Harum Bandung)
Rebounds. - 13 (KJ McDaniels, Pelita Jaya Basketball)
Assists - 8 (Taishaun Johnson, NS Matrix Deers)
Steals - 3 (Taishaun Johnson, Damion Rosser, NS Matrix Deers)
Blocks - 3 (James Gist, Prawira Harum Bandung; KJ McDaniels, Pelita Jaya Basketball)
Efficiency - 31 (KJ McDaniels, Pelita Jaya Basketball)

Highlight of the day

 

 FIBA