JERICHO Cruz once again caught fire for Guam as it dealt Hong Kong with a 46-point drubbing, 112-66, in the 2021 Fiba Asia Cup qualifiers Tuesday at Prince Hamza Hall in Amman.
The NLEX guard shot 3-of-4 from distance to rack up 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists to help the Guamanians move up to 2-1 in Group C.
Guam's victory virtually assures it of a spot in the second round of the qualifiers, where the third placers in all six groups will dispute the last tickets to the continental tilt.
Fiba has yet to make a decision on the fates of idle Australia (2-1) and New Zealand (2-1).
Nonetheless, Guam played like a team on a mission as it swept the two-game series against Hong Kong in Jordan after earlier taking the 103-83 conquest on Sunday.
Two-time NZ NBL Finals MVP Tai Wesley was on-target anew with his double-double of 18 points, 15 boards, five assists, and three steals in the game, including the layup at the 4:23 mark of the third period that made it a 48-point game, 80-32.
Former NLEX import Curtis Washington also had 16 points, three boards, and a steal to his name, while Daren Hechanova got eight points, eight rebounds, and seven assists for Guam.
It was all Guam from the tip-off, starting the game with a sizzling 23-5 opener that grew to a 30-8 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Helping its cause was its 11-of-20 three-point shooting, a solid 38-percent clip, aside from Guam dominating the boards, 57 to 39.
Yee Fu Chan carried Hong Kong off the bench with 17 points, five rebounds, and four assists, as Chi Lok Jolin So got 13 points and six boards in the loss.
Hong Kong exits Amman with a 0-3 slate in Group C.
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