CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) – Chinese Taipei’s Pauian flashed sharp form as they recorded their first win of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016 by beating Qatar’s Al Rayyan, 89-65.

Preston Knowles showed the way for Al Rayyan once again, scoring 27 points, but it was all for naught as the Qataris absorbed their second straight loss. Not surprisingly, Quincy Davis top-scored for the Taipei side with 22 points on 8-of-20 field goal shooting. He also added 10 rebounds and 1 block. Douglas Creighton and Shih Chin-Yao also impressed with a combined 28 points.

Turning Point: The Taipei squad got the jump on the Qataris here, leading by 11 after the first quarter and a dozen at the half. They extended that lead to 20 points entering the final frame and never looked back.

Stats Don't Lie: The smaller Taipei side completely outworked Al Rayyan on the glass. Led by the combined 19 rebounds of Davis and Creighton, Pauian outrebounded Al Rayyan, 56-34. Coach Yang I-Feng’s wards also proved to be much more efficient from the floor, making more than 58% of their field goals.

Game Hero: For the longest time, Doug Creighton has had to play second fiddle to the likes of Tien Lei and Lu Cheng-Ju in Taipei’s national team, but he had the green light to shoot this time around. He did not disappoint, connecting four times from beyond the arc and missing just one shot overall to finish with 18 points. He also grabbed 9 rebounds, handed out 4 assists and had 2 steals in their convincing triumph.

The Bottom Line: Pauian needed to win here after losing badly to Petrochimi on Day 1. This result boosts Pauian’s chances of advancing to the next round while, at the same time, making it extra difficult for Al Rayyan to do so. Pauian have another tough test tomorrow against Al Riyadi, while Al Rayyan will try to finally break into the win column against ONGC.

FIBA