JOHOR BAHRU (Malaysia) - The Chinggis Broncos secured a third-place finish in the BCL Asia-East 2026 following an 84-66 conquest of Dewa United Banten at the Arena Larkin Indoor Stadium, Sunday evening.
Their back-to-back bid crushed by South China in the Semi-Finals some 24 hours ago, the Mongolian powerhouse made sure not to go home empty-handed by taking bronze to earn some form of consolation.
It definitely wasn't the goal they had entering the season but at least, the reigning three-time MBA The League champions have clinched a spot in the podium for the second time in a row after falling short in 2024.
And in their last game of this year's competitions, head coach Ariunbold Erdene gave more playing time to the locals, with young star Azbayar Altangerel leading the attack with 15 points alongside 8 rebounds.
It was a perfect game from the talented winger as he shot 5-of-5 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line as well, and also collected 1 assist, 2 steals, and 3 blocks - all without a single turnover.
Ikhbayar Chuluunbaatar shot 4-of-5 from deep and finished with 14 points. Binderiya Sandagdorj chipped in 10 points, with Jordy Tshimanga adding 9 and 14 as a total of 11 players scored at least 2 in the win.
Chuluunbaatar and Azbayar, together with Tommy Bilguun, joined hands for an 8-3 run toward a 73-60 lead, which marked the start of their fourth-quarter pullaway to close out their campaign in rousing fashion.
"We needed this medal, that's why we are happy. I wanted to finish this season by winning," Erdene said. "Before the game, all of the players and the coaches spoke and we all wanted to finish with our best. We did."
Patrick Nikolas, on the other hand, had 14 points to lead Dewa United in the loss, which denied Indonesia from winning another bronze medal in the pan-regional meet that serves as a qualifier to BCL Asia.
Troy Gillenwater was the only other double-digit scorer with 10 points for the Indonesian Basketball League outfit, who settled for a fourth-place finish and ended their maiden run in the tourney with a 6-4 record overall.
With the result, the country's wait for another stint in Asia's highest club competition has been prolonged, with Pelita Jaya Basketball the last Indonesian club to play in the prestigious tilt back in 2024 in Dubai.
FIBA