JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Only two tickets are up for grabs but the four ball clubs competing in Round 2 of the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCL Asia) Qualifiers set this week each have strong cases as to why they could reach the tournament proper.

Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team

Leader of the board(s)
Hong Kong Eastern Basketball Team were the first to book their ticket to the Indonesian capital and that's thanks mainly to the way they epitomize hustle through rebounding. They averaged 49.0 boards back in Round 1, which they finished with a 2-1 record.

Five players average at least 3.0 rebounds for the reigning Hong Kong A1 Division 1 champions, namely Chris McLaughlin (11.3), Dominic Gilbert (8.3), Isaiah Eisendorf (6.7), the towering 23-year-old center Yuet Yeung Pok (5.7), and Yiu Pong Yip (3.0).

Everybody eats
Hong Kong Eastern sure know how to share the wealth, too. They're coming into Round 2 as the Qualifiers' assists leaders with 23.7 per game. The most they had in a game was 25 in a 79-74 win over Prawira Harum Bandung, which they could replicate in their rematch on April 23.

Serving as the team's assists leaders are Gilbert and McLaughlin. The reinforcements average 5.3 and 5.0 dimes a game, respectively, as they're doing a little bit of everything to lead the crew. Gilbert (20.7 points) and McLaughlin (16.7 points) are their top scorers, too.

Pelita Jaya Basketball

Most efficient of the four
Pelita Jaya Basketball are the only unbeaten team entering Round 2 after sweeping all three of their games back in the first round, and one of the main reasons why is their efficiency.

Of the four teams in the upcoming phase, the Indonesia Basketball League (IBL) outfit have the most per-game EFF with 103.7. Only the NS Matrix Deers have breached the century mark in the said statistical department as the Malaysian crew average 100.8.

Magic 5
Balanced has been the attack of Pelita Jaya. Sure, they have JaQuori McLaughlin (20.3 points) and Justin Brownlee (18.3) points to lean on, but the locals have been solid, too, which could very well help them in their bid reaching the tournament proper.

There's two-way specialist Reza Guntara (11.3 points). Lest we forget the veteran tandem of Brandon Jawato and Andakara Prastawa, which both normed 10.7 markers in Round 1. No other Round 2 team have five players averaging double-figures.

Prawira Harum Bandung

Elite marksmanship from deep
Outside shooting has been the bread-and-butter of Prawira Harum Bandung back in Round 1 and that won't change now that the Qualifiers are heading into the home stretch.

After playing four games, including their Qualification to Round 2 win over the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos, the defending IBL champions had a 42.9-percent accuracy from the floor, easily the best in the tournament as no other club has shot 40-percent from deep.

Best scorer at their disposal
Brandone Francis, without a doubt, was a big reason why Prawira are where they are right now. Well, he's the Qualifiers' top scorer with 25.8 points, alongside 5.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per contest

He stepped up in their last two games, showing how much he's embraced being one of their leaders. After seeing his 29-point effort go for naught against Eastern, he dropped 31 with 6 boards and 6 dimes to help his side get past the Deers and reach the Round 2 Qualifiers.

Francis then fired 24 points to beat the Broncos, and so it would be intriguing to see how one of Round 1's top players could sustain his fine play come Round 2.

NS Matrix Deers

All about defense
NS Matrix's fast-paced offense mainly comes from their solid defense. They lead all teams in steals with 11.0 - they're the only team averaging 10-plus steals - and in blocks with 5.8, which have enabled the crew to run the floor and score off transition.

The Deers' tenacity on D enabled them to beat Hi-Tech Basketball Club in the Qualification to Round 2. The Thai side led all teams with 105.7 points after Round 1 but got held to only 93. That loss saw them shoot a poor 18.4-percent from deep, indeed disappointing for one of the tournament's top offensive teams then.

Locals picking it up
That big win against Hi-Tech witnessed Ting Chun Hong deliver 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, which, easily, was his best performance of the Qualifiers scoring-wise.

Aside from him, other locals stepped up for NS Matrix, with his fellow veteran internationalists in Kuek Tian Yuen and Wong Yi Hou finishing with 11 points apiece in the triumph.

It should be big for the Deers that the locals are now getting their groove altogether. And if they continue playing that way in Round 2, it would be much harder for opposing defenses that still has to deal with Jordan Tolbert, Taishaun Johnson, and Damion Rosser.

FIBA