CHENZHOU (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016) – Lin Chin-Pang caught fire as Pauian of Chinese Taipei clinched the third seed of Group A with a big win over India’s ONGC, 101-71, on the final day of group play at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2016 in Chenzhou, China.

Lin led the scoring party for Pauian, which also saw three other players score in double-figures. Quincy Davis was solid once again with 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Lee Chi-Wei and Huang Chia-Ming added 11 and 10 points respectively. India gave the Taipei outfit a good fight in this game, but the South Asian club just faded in the fourth quarter. They were paced by Amritpal Singh’s 19 points and 13 rebounds, while Riyaz Uddin hit 5 triples and score 18 points.

Turning Point: India were trailing by 11 entering the fourth period, but they were still clearly within striking distance. Pauian, however, would quickly change that when they started the final frame with an 8-0 run that just took the wind out of ONGC’s sails. Before they knew what hit them, the Indians were staring at a 19-point deficit with under 9 minutes left. There was no threatening Pauian from that point on.

Stats Don't Lie: Pauian’s ball movement proved to be deadly for ONGC. Couple that with the Taipei squad’s torrid outside shooting and the Indians just eventually could not keep up. Pauian assisted on 28 of their 42 made field goals, 10 of which were from beyond the arc. Wu Chia-Chun and Lee Chi-Wei combined for 15 of those 28 assists, with Lee also hitting 3 three-pointers.

Game Hero: Lin Chin-Pang is known as a deadly scorer in the Super Basketball League (SBL) of Taipei, and he showed his prowess here, hitting 8 of his 11 field goal attempts en route to a team-high 19 points. He also showed his playmaking chops with 4 assists on top of 2 rebounds and 2 steals. If Lin can be consistent with this kind of production, there’s a chance Pauian may just pull the rug from under Al Ahli in the Quarter-Finals.

The Bottom Line: Pauian needed to win here to formalize their clinching of Group A’s third ahead of Al Rayyan. The Taipei quintet are now matched up with Al Ahli of UAE in the knockout Quarter-Finals, and Pauian actually have a fair chance of advancing. Of course, they will need a big game from Davis and a number of their local players to do so. As for ONGC, this formally ends their campaign at the Champions Cup, and though they go home winless, they can still treat this as a learning experience, especially for those who will serve in the national team in the near future.

FIBA