By JONAS TERRADO
Jericho Cruz scored 24 points to help Guam produce a 103-83 victory over Hong Kong Sunday in the first of their two FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers match in Amman, Jordan.
The NLEX Road Warriors guard made 9-of-16 shots, including five triples while adding four rebounds, seven assists and three steals in almost 30 minutes in his second appearance for Guam.
Guam improved its record to 1-1 in Group C going into their second meeting Tuesday, June 15 with Hong Kong, which fell to 0-2.
Guam hopes to sweep its two-game set with Hong Kong to secure a spot in the second round of the Asia Cup Qualifiers which will be played in Jakarta, Indonesia in mid-August.
Australia and New Zealand are tied for the lead in the group at 2-1 but are not taking part in the ongoing window.
Cruz had 12 points and four assists in the first quarter that saw Guam take a 35-19 lead.
Also stepping up for Guam are Tai Wesley and Curtis Washington, who played as an import for NLEX in the 2019 PBA Commissioner’s Cup.
Wesley topscored with 25 points and added 10 rebounds and nine assists while Washington tallied 16 points, six rebounds and three assists.
Chris Connor, who played for University of the East in the UAAP, added nine points in 13 minutes off the bench.
