CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) – China Kashgar recorded their third win in a row at the expense of Barsy Atyrau, 97-68, on Day 3 at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016 in Chenzhou, China.

Darius Adams came through for China Kashgar in this game, top-scoring with 21 points on the back of 4 three-pointers, while national team member Li Gen hit 3 triples of his own en route to 17 points for the victors. Three other Chinese players broke the double-digit barrier in scoring, while Barsy Atyrau was paced by Mikhail Yevstigneyev and Pavel Ilin, who tallied 21 and 19 points respectively.

Turning Point: The home team led wire to wire in this one. They posted a 19-10 lead after the first ten minutes and proceeded to build on their advantage as the game wore on. At its highest, China’s lead was at 34 points, and that typified the team’s absolute dominance over their Kazakh foes.

Stats Don't Lie: With a much bigger line-up, China Kashgar cashed in on scoring in the paint. The home team outscored Barsy Atyrau in the box, 28-18, to underscore their size advantage. Coach Li Qiuping’s wards also played tenacious defense, forcing 21 Kazakh turnovers that were promptly turned into 23 points for the Chinese.

Game Hero: Naturalized Filipino big man Andray Blatche sat out this game for China Kashgar, and national team member Zhou Qi stepped up in the absence of the former NBA player. Zhou recorded a personal tournament-high 15 points to go along with 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 blocked shot, stamping his class in the middle and anchoring China’s inside game.

The Bottom Line: China Kashgar will take a much needed rest day tomorrow before clashing with the Malaysia Dragons on the final day of elimination. They are gunning for a sweep, and judging by how they’ve player, only a minor miracle will enable Malaysia to thwart them. As for Barsy Atyrau, they remain winless after two games, but they still have a chance to advance if they can win at least one of their next two outings, which are against Malaysia (tomorrow) and Al Shorta of Iraq (Day 5).

FIBA