CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) – Al Shorta leaned on the outstanding game of DeAndre Rice to beat Barsy Atyrau, 81-67, and clinch the third place of Group B on Day 5 of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016 in Chenzhou, China.

Rice and Justin Hawkins stamped their class in this pivotal affair, combining for 59 of Al Shorta’s 81-point total. Hawkins also grabbed 11 rebounds in a dominant performance, while big man Alaa Al-Saedi collared 10 boards and protected the rim well, blocking 4 shots. Pavel Micheev paced the losing side with 20 points, and he was backstopped by Mikhail Yevstigneyev and Vassiliy Savchenko, who scored 15 and 13 points respectively.

Turning Point: A big fourth quarter proved to be the most critical turning point in this game, with the Iraqis outscoring the Kazakhs 20-11 to put the outcome beyond doubt. The Kazakhs were still within striking distance at the start of the payoff period, but Barsy Atyrau kicked it off with an 11-2 run that broke the game open.

Stats Don't Lie: Al Shorta used their size advantage to the hilt in this one, as proven by their edge in rebounding and second chance points. Barsy won the battle of the boards, 43-36, and also had the edge in second chance scoring, 24-19.

Game Hero: Rice was the top performer for Al Shorta in this all-important match up. The 31-year-old 1.85m playmaker dropped 31 points on the strength of 6 triples for Al Shorta while also adding 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocked shot. He basically ran rings around the Kazakhs, and he was just unstoppable.

The Bottom Line: This was the exact kind of win needed by Al Shorta heading into the Quarter-Finals, where they are set to meet the second seed of Group A. On the other end, Barsy atyrau finish as Group B’s fourth seed and will have to face the winner of the Al Riyadi-Petrochimi match later on.

FIBA