Wellington humbles Chinese Taipei in MVP Cup opener

Wellington Saints made mincemeat of Chinese Taipei, 108-80, to open their campaign in the Master Game Face MVP Cup Friday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Ray Turner led the New Zealand squad with 25 points on an efficient 12-of-16 shooting from the field along with nine rebounds, while Brook Ruscoe waxed hot with five triples to finish with 25 markers.

Bryan Davis also had 18 points and eight boards while as Jameel Watkins and Justin Edwards both wound up in double digits.

The New Zealand squad went like a house on fire in the second half, stopping a pesky Taiwanese squad which got to as close as three, 45-42, at the halftime break.

A 31-point third quarter outburst opened the floodgates for the Saints as they coasted to the easy victory.

Liu Cheng paced Chinese Taipei with 13 points, as Tien Lei and Tsai Wen-Cheng both got 11.

Wellington also atoned its defeat in the 2015 Jones Cup to the same Chinese Taipei squad, 86-84.

The Scores:

WELLINGTON 108 – Turner 25, Ruscoe 25, Davis 18, Watkins 14, Edwards 13, Braswell 8, Newton 3, Ekenasio 2, Bloxham 0, Mills 0.
CHINESE TAIPEI 80 – Liu 13, Tien 11, Tsai 11, Lu 9, Wu 7, Chen SH 7, Chen SC 5, Hung 5, Chen SN 4, Lin 0.

Quarters: 31-24, 45-42, 76-60, 108-80.