Super 8 Semifinals Cast set
The third day of Asia League’s Summer Super 8 tournament at the Macao East Asian Games Dome saw ETLand Elephants, NLEX Road Warriors, Guangzhou Long-Lions and Seoul Samsung Thunders advance to the semi-finals.
Despite having been knocked out after losing their first two games, Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka got off to a strong 5-0 start against Blackwater Elite. The Filipinos overcame their scoring drought and led by 1 at the end of the first quarter at 19-18.
The two sides then entered a stalemate after the Japanese team drilled a 3-pointer at the start of the second quarter. Blackwater broke first, gradually stretching the lead with solid counterattacks and multiple three-pointers. Fukuoka struggled to respond allowing Blackwater to ease ahead for the win. Despite this win Blackwater could not move above Samsung Thunders in Group B, and they failed to move through to the Semi-Finals.
ETLand Elephants continued their winning streak for their third consecutive game. They showed their strength from the tip off with an 8-0 start over Formosa Dreamers. After that, the South Korean side shut out the Dreamers with 15 3-pointers for the game. The winning margin was a comfortable 35 points; ETLand Elephants storm through to the Semi-Finals.
The third game of Day 3 saw a dramatic match between Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers and NLEX Road Warriors, the winner of which would secure a place in the Semi-Finals. After the first quarter closed out at 20-20, Xinjiang dominated the second quarter and started the second half with a 16 points lead at 49-33. However, NLEX came storming back, scoring 10 unanswered points to make it 64-59 at the end of the third quarter. The Filippino team successfully held Xinjiang at bay, eliminating the former CBA champions with a final score of 88-78.
The group stage culminated in an extremely close game between Seoul Samsung Thunders and Guangzhou Long-Lions. Both sides went all out, but the scoreline was always tight, and neither team could take a decisive lead. In the last minute of the game, the Thunders suddenly found another gear and Guangzhou struggled to match it. The game ended with the team from Seoulwinning 78-73, and bothearning enough points to secure their respective places in the Semi-Finals.
July 20 will be a rest day, with the two semi-finals taking place on July 21, starting from 5 P.M.
