JAKARTA (Indonesia) - Pelita Jaya Basketball vented their ire on NS Matrix, 95-59, to close out their Basketball Champions League-Asia 2025 home stand on a rousing note at the GMSB Kuningan, Tuesday night.
That disappointing loss to Alec Brown and Taoyuan Pauian last Sunday still fresh in their minds, the reigning Indonesian Basketball League champions only needed little time to seize control of the match before making it a one-sided affair - much, of course, to the delight of the home crowd that once again filled the venue.
With the win, Coach Johannis Winar & Co. improved to 3-1 in Group A but more importantly the crew has regained their confidence, which should bode well for them heading into Window 3 of the tilt in Chinese Taipei.
It's something they're surely looking forward to as they will once again lock horns with the Pilots in New Taipei City on April 26, looking to exact vengeance after suffering an 88-64 blowout in their first encounter.
The Deers, meanwhile, remain in search of a win as the team from Malaysia crashed to their fourth loss in as many outings - that, after absorbing easily their worst defeat of the competition thus far.
Game heroes: James Dickey top-scored for Pelita Jaya with a game-high 21 points alongside 12 rebounds for another double-double, which he laced with 5 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to net an efficiency of 35.
But the biggest contribution of the night, without a doubt, came from Agassi Goantara as the Indonesia men's team veteran fired 16 points for his best showing of the meet to date after averaging just 5.0 points prior.
Also delivering solidly was Reggie Mononimbar with 10 points as the local cogs submitted impressive showings for a team that continues to miss the services of star guard Andakara Prastawa due to an injury.
Still, the usual providers delivered in the rout, with KJ McDaniels flirting with a triple-double with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 5 assists. Chris McCullough dropped 14 as well, together with 8 rebounds.
Turning point: Pelita Jaya actually started off slow and even stared at a 10-4 deficit to the visiting side, but Goantara and Dickey connived for a scoring run to get themselves ahead for the first time, 12-10.
McDaniels would come in to help put his side in control with a 21-18 lead, and their first-quarter showing was seemingly all that they needed to get going as the crew would go on a tear all of a sudden.
Pelita Jaya exploded for 32 big points in the second quarter while limiting their foes to just 11, with Brandon Jawato and Mononimbar taking their turn to contribute to eventually erect a 53-29 lead at the half.
The game would no longer be in question since. McDaniels would push their lead to 30, 73-43, behind a three-point play late in the third, but the onslaught didn't stop their as the lead grew to as big as 39.
Stats don't lie: And that lopsided victory was thanks to the way they shot the ball. Pelita Jaya shot 53.5-percent from the floor - including 13 threes - thanks to their 24 assists, They dominated the boards as well, 50-34.
*This article will be updated.
