By REYNALD MAGALLON
Justin Brownlee spearheaded a pivotal third quarter as Pelita Jaya took down Malaysian team NS Matrix Deer, 94-79 to open its second round campaign in the second round of BCL Asia qualifiers on Tuesday, April 23.
The Filipino naturalized player scored eight straight points to help his Indonesian team create some separation in the third – a lead that it never relinquished until the final buzzer to get a share of the early lead in the standings.
It was a tight 53-50 advantage for Pelita Jaya when Brownlee provided the tip of the spear to his team’s transition attack to suddenly rebuild a 64-55 lead midway through the frame.
The Deers never recovered from there as Pelita Jaya stretched the lead to double-digits and as high as 17 points in the payoff period.
Brownlee finished with 11 points that also went with eight rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block while fellow former PBA import KJ McDaniels led the way in scoring with 24 points apart from seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
JacQuori McLaughlin added 20 points while Andakara Prastawa Dhyaksa chipped in 16.
Chun Hong Ting paced the Malaysians with 24 points while Jordan Tolbert added a double-double of 16 points and 14 rebounds.
Pelita Jaya is now 1-0 in the standings alongside fellow Indonesian squad Prawira Harum Bandung.
