CHINESE Taipei made headway in its bid to clinch one of the remaining berths in the coming FIBA Asia Cup after a 113-73 rout of Guam and Jericho Cruz at the start of the final qualifying tournament on Wednesday night at the University of Taipei Tianmu gymnasium.
Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga finished with a game-high 23 points to lead the home team, which shot a high 39 percent from three point range (13-of-33).
Naturalized player Brandon Gilbeck had a double-double of 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Ma Chien-hao also had 15 for the home team, which took the top spot in Group G.
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It was the third straight win for Chinese Taipei in the qualifiers, including a 91-84 beating of Gilas Pilipinas also at home last Feb. 20.
It can clinch a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup should it beat Thailand in its final outing.
Guam struggled with its shooting, making just 36 percent of its shots (27-of-75), including Cruz who was 2-of-13 from the field (15 percent).
Earnest Ross led the team with 22 points and seven rebounds.
The team faces a must-win against Thailand on Thursday night to keep its hopes alive of advancing to the tournament proper set this August in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Action in Group H meanwhile, won’t start until Friday with a game pitting Iraq against India.
Bahrain is the other team included in the bracket.
The top two teams in each group will complete the 16-team roster of 2025 FIBA Asia Cup,
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