Ryukyu blows out Nagoya to enter Terrific 12 finals

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins vs Ryuku Golden Kings during The Asia League’s ‘The Terrific 12’ Semi-final match at Studio City Event Center on 22 September 2018, in Macau, Macau. Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong / Power Sport Images for Asia League

MACAU—Ryukyu continued its unparalleled dominance after dismantling Nagoya, 66-48, in the semifinals of the Asia League The Terrific 12 Saturday at Studio City Events Center here.

The Golden Kings have blown out their past three opponents by an average of 20.3 points and will face the winner between Seoul and Guangzhou in the finals.

Jeff Ayres led Ryukyu with 16 points and nine rebounds while fellow import Josh Scott had a 15-point, 13-rebound double-double.

Ryukyu started off firing, outscoring the Diamond Dolphins, 19-5, in the first quarter and never looked back.

Golden Knights head coach Norio Sassa said he’s aware that there may come a time that his team’s blow outs will come to a stop but his team has the determination to continue what they did throughout the tournament.

“Basketball will never be perfect but this team has the will to be perfect,” said Sassa. “What we should do is move forward and look forward to the game tomorrow.”

Markeith Cummings was the lone player form Nagoya to put up double-digit points with 18.