ULAANBAATAR (Mongolia) - Hi-Tech Basketball Club survived the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos in an overtime classic, 115-111, in a thrilling conclusion to Round 1 of the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) Qualifiers, Saturday night at the UG Arena.

Veteran guard Freddie Lish showed the way with 34 points, none bigger than his game-clinching free throws with 9.3 seconds left to play as he helped save the Basketball Thai League side after coughing up an 82-74 lead with 6:23 remaining in regulation.

By surviving their crowd-fueled counterparts, Hi-Tech have clinched the second seed in Group B with a 2-1 slate by dragging the Broncos to the no. 3 with a 1-2 card.

The result have also finalized the Qualification to Round 2 pairings on Sunday, April 7. Hi-Tech will be taking on Group A third-seed NS Matrix Deers at 20:00, while Ulaanbaatar Xac are set to battle Prawira Harum Bandung, Group A's no. 2 seed, at 17:30.

Kevin Allen also starred for Hi-Tech with 30 points and 23 rebounds, the most by any player in the tilt. Marcus Elliott had 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, while Moses Morgan made 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists as the trio were with Lish in taking control of the extra period.

Leading the Broncos in the loss, meanwhile, where Divine Myles with 34 points, including the tough trifecta with 1.5 seconds left to send the game into OT - that, after missing the first two of his three free throws that could've tied the game at 98-all moments earlier.

Tommy Bilguun and Justin Moss finished with 23 points apiece, while young star Anand Ariunbold delivered 18 points for the Broncos in the stinging defeat.

Bishrelt foil Eastern's sweep bid

But it was not all heartbreak for the Mongolian representatives in these Qualifiers as Bishrelt Metal made sure to end their campaign on a high note following an 83-80 upset of Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team in the penultimate game of the day.

Enkhbayasgalan Amarbayasgalan was at the right place at the right time, tipping in the rock for the go-ahead bucket with 11.9 seconds left to play before Christopher Blake put on the exclamation point through a breakaway dunk to settle the final count.

Bishrelt ended their run with a 1-2 record after preventing the reigning Hong Kong A1 Division champions from sweeping Group A. But even if the latter finished with a 2-1 card, the result won't cause any shake-up as they have already locked the no. 1 seed of the pool.

Jeantal Cylla top-scored for Bishrelt with 26 points and 8 rebounds. Blake, meanwhile, finished with a full line of 19 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals, and 4 blocks.

Sukhbat Batzorig went 5-of-10 from deep and contributed 17 points, while Amarbayasgalan came through with a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds in the win.

Chris McLaughlin, on the other hand, had 22 points and 12 rebounds for the Round 2-bound Hong Kong Eastern. Marco Leung supplied 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor.

Dominic Gilbert added 11 points and 10 rebounds against 2 turnovers, with his last one the toughest to fathom as Blake stole the ball from him for the game-clinching jam.

Francis, Prawira shoot down Deers

The Day 3 opener saw Brandone Francis take over as Prawira Harum Bandung took down NS Matrix in a clash of Southeast Asian ball clubs, 105-94, to clinch the second seed in Group A.

The Dominican winger finished with 31 points, including 15 in the fourth quarter alone as he spearheaded the telling 10-0 run to break the 75-all deadlock entering the said chapter and take control of the game the rest of the way to finish the Round 1 with a 2-1 record.

Francis shot an efficient 9-of-13 from the field and also collected 6 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals to lead the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL) side in picking themselves up after suffering a narrow 79-74 loss to Hong Kong Eastern last Thursday.

Pivotal in the victory as well was Indra Muhamad, who shot an impressive 6-of-9 from downtown on his way to registering 20 points for his best showing of the tournament thus far after scoring just a grand total of 3 points in the first two games.

Taishaun Johnson, meanwhile, poured 31 points as well for the Deers, along with 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Jordan Tolbert backed him up with 18 points and 5 rebounds.

Pelita Jaya finish unscathed

Pelita Jaya didn't let up despite having accomplished their goal as they dominated Adroit Club, 82-64, to finish their Round 1 campaign with a perfect 3-0 record.

JaQuori McLaughlin submitted a personal-best 25 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 2 steals as to lead the way for Group B's top seed. Justin Brownlee delivered 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 3-of-4 clip from deep, and 6 rebounds.

The tandem joined hands with Brandon Jawato and Andakara Prastawa for the pivotal 12-2 run for a 69-50 lead with 6:30 left, which was more than enough to put the game away after the Singaporean champions got to within single digits entering the deciding period.

Reza Guntara turned in 11 points and 6 boards for the IBL outfit, who's bound for Round 2 in Jakarta together with Group A's no. 1 team Hong Kong Eastern.

Donald Kelly, on the other hand, finished with a double-double of 25 points and 11 rebounds to lead Adroit Club, which finished Round 1 winless with a 0-3 record.

Top stats of the day:

Points - 34 (Freddie Lish, Hi-Tech Basketball Club; Divine Myles, Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos)
Rebounds - 23 (Kevin Allen, Hi-Tech Basketball Club)
Assists - 10 (Dominic Gilbert, Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team)
Steals - 4 (Multiple players)
Blocks - 4 (Christopher Blake, Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team)
Efficiency - 46 (Kevin Allen, Hi-Tech Basketball Club)

Top highlight of the day:

FIBA