DONGGUAN (China) - Ulaanbaatar showed steely resolve in orchestrating an 88-82 upset of Cathay Life to nab their first win in the FIBA WBL Asia 2025 at the Dongguan Sports Center on Tuesday night.
Amari Robinson starred with 30 points and 10 rebounds, capping off a solid performance by striking the dagger for the final count with 27.7 seconds left to complete the Amazons' fightback from as much as 16 down.
It was also Robinson who gave themselves the lead for good at 79-77 by knocking down a booming trifecta with 5:17 remaining before the rest of the squad picked it up from there to secure the breakthrough victory.
The champions from Mongolia concluded their Group Phase campaign with a 1-1 win-loss record in Group A, bolstering their chances of advancing to the knockout crossover Semi-Finals on Saturday, September 26.
"For us, this was a very important and historical win for Mongolian basketball. We're very proud of this," expressed head coach Fran Garcia post-game. "For us, this is a big achievement."
Heroes were aplenty in the come-from-behind triumph, with Kayleigh Truong finishing with 20 points. Khulan Onolbaatar came through with 19 points as the tandem were crucial in the fourth-quarter surge.
Robinson, Truong, and Onolbaatar all played for 40 minutes.
Ariuntsetseg Bat-Erdene fell a rebound shy from her own double-double showing with 13 points and 9 rebounds, as the two-time Women's The League MVP's hustle plays on both ends of the floor sparked the whole squad.
Bat-Erdene herself was responsible for widening the gap after Robinson's outside shot, first by completing a three-point play before taking turns with the latter to make it an 86-79 spread with 1:20 to spare.
The game would slowly slip away from the Tigers since, with Bat-Erdene immediately collecting the opposition's turnover to get the possession back, which moments later led to the game-sealing layup by Robinson.
"We played against another great team with a lot of talent and a lot of veterans," Robinson said. "I think it was a really good test for us, to challenge ourselves being a young team and still trying to come together."
Han Ya En, on the other hand, had 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists to lead Cathay Life in the loss that spoiled their tournament opener. Potter supplied 19 points and 5 rebounds while Lo Pin added 12.
Silver medalists of the 2024 WBL Asia inaugurals, the Tigers will look to keep their Semi-Finals bid alive when they take on Dongguan New Century tomorrow, Friday. September 26, at 19:30 local time.
FIBA