BEIJING (China) - After three intensive days of action in Beijing, we know all four passengers to the Semi-Finals of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup.
Europe, South America, North America and Africa will have their representatives there, while the two Chinese teams face off in the Fifth Place Game.
The Semi-Finals pairings (Saturday, September 26):
RSSB Tigers vs. NBA G League United 15:30 local (9:30 RWA time, 5:30 a.m. EST)
Rytas Vilnius vs. Boca Juniors 19:30 local (13:30 LTU time; 8:30 ARG time)
Boca Juniors 74-79 NBA G League United
In a highly entertaining game to decide the group winners in Group B, Boca Juniors and the NBA G League United exchanged the lead eight times, while also being tied six times.
Even though the Basketball Champions League Americas winners had a 15-point lead, the G Leaguers fought back, James Bouknight's six straight points erasing the deficit completely and setting us up for a back-and-forth fourth quarter.
With everything on the line, coach Mahmoud Abdelfattah handed the ball to Eric Dixon, and the big guy delivered, scoring four straight points to break the deadlock and carry the team to a 2-0 record.
Dixon had 17 points with 8 rebounds coming off the bench, while Sean East II and Lester Quinones had 13 each.
The G Leaguers managed to slow down Francisco Caffaro in terms of his scoring (6 points), but his physical presence caused them plenty of headaches.
Oh, and a slower offensive day for the BCL Americas Finals MVP still includes a sensational poster dunk.
Micheal Warren was Boca's top scorer on the day with 15 points, Tomas Monacchi following his lead with 11, and Agustin Barreiro also in double figures with 10.
# | TEAM | GP | W | L | PTS FOR | PTS AGT | +/- | POINTS |
1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 198 | 163 | +35 | 4 | |
2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 162 | 157 | +5 | 3 | |
3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 167 | 207 | -40 | 2 |
Rytas Vilnius 107-66 Shanghai Sharks
The champions of the Chinese Basketball Association let a 19-point lead slip out of their hands against the RSSB Tigers, and working overtime on Wednesday took its tool on this team.
Shanghai Sharks were competitive for the first 15 minutes, but Rytas Vilnius' relentless rhythm made it a one-sided affair with a 27-7 third quarter.
Once again, coach Nedas Pacevicius saw six of his players in double figures, and once again his team dished out 24 assists, just like in their first game in China.
Gytis Masiulis was the stretch "five" they needed to spread the floor, hitting four three-pointers in as many attempts, scoring a team-high 17 points in less than 15 minutes of action.
His partner at the center position Arturas Gudaitis picked up a dominant 12-point, 13-rebound double-double, while Kay Bruhnke led the way in efficiency rating again, this time with 21.
Rytas finished the first phase at 2-0, pulling the 1-1 RSSB Tigers through, while the Shanghai Sharks finished bottom of their group at 0-2.
Group A standings
# | TEAM | GP | W | L | PTS FOR | PTS AGT | +/- | POINTS |
1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 214 | 155 | +59 | 4 | |
2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 206 | 222 | -16 | 3 | |
3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 181 | 224 | -43 | 2 |
Brandon Goodwin was scoreless in this game, after pouring in 37 points just 24 hours earlier, but the guard was battling an injury which saw him sit out the entire second half. Zhelin Wang was the best Shark of the day with 14 points in 19 minutes of action.