KUALA LUMPUR: Size does matter in basketball.
The well-built Sydney-based ACBA Dragons effectively sealed the Maba International Invitation crown when they defeated the national men’s team 96-65 at the Maba Stadium here today.
It was Malaysia’s first defeat in four matches while the Dragons have won all their matches.
The Dragons went on a shooting spree right from the tip-off for a 35-7 first quarter lead.
The Malaysians tried hard to regain their composure, but the Dragons used their size to good effect to bully the home team on the court.
There was really no coming back from a 54-26 half-time lead as the Dragons would eventually seal their fourth straight victory.
To make matters worse, national team captain Mak Lok Seng was also bundled out of the game with a serious looking injury in the fourth quarter.
Cooper Wilks led the scoring for the Dragons with 27 points while Wong Yi Hou responded for Malaysia with 12 points.
The Dragons will play fellow Aussie side Wah Chin Kings tomorrow.
Malaysia have another litmus test when they take on Taiwanese side Formosa Dreamers in their last game.
In other matches, the Westports Malaysia Dragons made it two wins in four matches after thumping the Kings 100-83 on the back of a strong local performance.
Import Will Artino led with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Youngster Tem Zhen Jie, 21, had an outstanding performance with 23 points and Hung Ing Wai also did well with 19 points.
In the women’s competition, Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom virtually sealed the title after beating Fo Guang University 85-53.