DUBAI (United Arab Emirates) - Al Riyadi ran roughshod over Taoyuan Pauian, 99-82, in a strong closeout to the BCL Asia 2025 Group Phase, Monday night at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall.
Wael Arakji kick-started the rally before the others shifted the momentum into high gear toward the rout as the defending champions went on to clinch the no. 1 spot in Group C with a clean 2-0 record.
The Yellow Castle have also extended their winning streak in the FIBA club competition this year to 15, dating back to the 2025 FIBA WASL-West Asia League, against a team that played without their main man.
The Pilots competed without Lu Chun-Hsiang due to the right ankle injury he sustained early in their eventual win over the Changwon LG Sakers last Saturday, which reduced him to a spectator on the sidelines.
Nonetheless, both Riyadi and Taoyuan Pauian are headed to the Quarter-Finals on June 11.
"I'm glad that we are in the Quarter-Finals," said head coach Ahmad Farran. "From now on, it's win or go home."
Arakji starred in the victory with 33 points, 11 of which he made in the opening quarter alone - including a buzzer-beating jumper to end the said period - to lead his side to a 30-20 lead that set the tone for the win.
The lefty playmaker shot an excellent 10-of-13 from the floor, including a 3-of-4 clip from deep, in a showing that also saw him collect 4 rebounds and 7 assists plus a steal to net an efficiency of 40.
Marcus Georges-Hunt finished with 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists as the versatile winger helped open the floodgates in the second chapter, hitting back-to-back triples to push their lead to 20, 47-27.
Thon Maker chipped in 16 points and a pair of blocks in the win where Al Riyadi shot 55.3-percent from the floor and also went 50-percent from beyond the arc by knocking down a dozen three-pointers.
Alec Brown, on the other hand, collected 17 points and 13 rebounds to lead Taoyuan Pauian. Julian Boyd also made 17 points as the two reinforcements tried to lead the way in the absence of their star guard.
Treveon Graham made 14 points while Li Chia-Kang added 12 in the loss.
FIBA