JUSTIN Brownlee and Pelita Jaya beat Iran champion Shahrdary Gorgan, 97-90, to keep its playoff hopes alive in the Basketball Champions League (BCL) Asia 2024 at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall in Dubai, UAE.
READ Pelita Jaya falls short against Hiroshima in BCL debut
Brownlee scored 32 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and had four assists and two steals as the Indonesian side bounced back from an opening defeat to the Hiroshima Dragonflies and moved on the brink of advancing to the semifinals from Group B of the eight-team continental club showpiece.
His teammate James Dickey led the way with 40 points and 17 boards.
At 1-1 (win-loss), Pelita Jaya can advance to the knockout semifinal with a win over Korean league champion KCC Egis Basketball Club (0-2) or a Hiroshima (2-0) win over Shahrdary Gorgan, champions of the lranian league the past three seasons.
Hiroshima, the former team of Kai Sotto in the Japan B.League, routed KCC on Monday, 107-77, to put one foot inside the semifinal door. The Dragonflies play Shahrdary Gorgan late Tuesday.
Pelita Jaya takes on KCC on Wednesday.
Brownlee, who is set to rejoin Gilas Pilipinas in its buildup for the Latvia OQT after the tournament, hit the two free throws inside the final minute that quashed any hope of a Shahrdary Gorgan comeback.
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