Asia League: Nagoya blitzes past Zhejiang, tops Group A for semis entry
MACAU—Nagoya breezed through the preliminaries and capped off its group stage campaign with a 79-71 win over Zhejiang Guangsha in the Asia League The Terrific 12 Thursday at Studio City Events Center here.
The Diamond Dolphins from Japan topped Group A with a 2-0 record and advanced to the semifinals to face fellow B.League team Ryukyu in the penultimate round.
Article continues after this advertisementIt wasn’t much of a back-and-forth affair between the two teams but Nagoya found an opening in the third quarter after getting a 12-point lead, 61-49, on Markeith Cummings’ triple at the 4:35 mark of the period.
Li Jinglong managed to cut the deficit to a single digit, 67-59, at the start of the fourth but Cummings and Toshihiro Nakatsuka were quick to respond with five unanswered points to put Nagoya up 72-59 with 8:10 left in the game.
Cummings, who once played for NorthPort in the PBA, led the Diamond Dolphins with 25 points and nine rebounds while Craig Brackins had a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Article continues after this advertisementJinglong put up 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Lions with center Ioannis Bourousis pitching in 16 points and 13 boards.