NONTHABURI (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018) - Pauian Archiland clinches first place in the standings of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 East Inter-Subzone Qualifications with a 100-88 victory over Mono Vampire Basketball Club. Their scorching hot shooting night allowed them to overcome Mono Vampire's furious comeback rally spearheaded by 31 points from Chitchai Ananti.

The champions from Chinese-Taipei just couldn’t miss from the floor and shot 56.8%, giving them enough cushion to hold on for the win. Mono Vampire Basketball Club fell to an 11-point deficit early in the game but came back to tie it up and even take the lead in the middle of the third quarter.

Malicious pressure defense got the Thailand champions back into the game, forcing 19 turnovers from Pauian and getting 18 points for their efforts on that end. Ananti lit up for 31 points and kept the Mono Vampire within the game shot after shot in the second half but it just wasn’t enough for the host nation to continue their rally and overtake the lead.

The victors distributed their scoring masterfully, with 5 players in double-digit scoring and connected for 29 assists. Yao-Tsung Lin powered through again with 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists but it was the combined bench scoring of Chia-Chun Wu and Wei-Ju Chien that kept Pauian going. The backcourt duo combined for 23 points, missing only 3 of their shots throughout the entire game.

With a 2-0 record, Pauian assures that they are champions of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 East Inter-Subzone Qualifications. More importantly, they claim a ticket to the Final 8 round of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018, marking their return since their 6^th place finish in 2016.

With the final qualifying spot to the Final round of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018 on the line, the Mono Vampire Basketball Club will take on Pelita Jaya tomorrow at 3:00 PM.

FIBA