Mbala helps Seoul bag Terrific 12 bronze at expense of Nagoya

Nagoya Diamond Dolphins vs Seoul Samsung Thunders during The Asia League’s The Terrific 12 Third Place match at Studio City Event Center on 23 September 2018, in Macau, Macau. Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong / Power Sport Images for Asia League

MACAU—Seoul crashed the podium party after taking down Nagoya, 105-92, in the bronze medal match of the Asia League The Terrific 12 Sunday at Studio City Events Center here.

The Samsung Thunders from the Korean Basketball League built a sizeable 34-26 lead after the first quarter and it proved to be enough foundation for them throughout the match.

Although the Diamond Dolphins of the B.League tried to mount a comeback, cutting the margin to 93-87, but the Samsung Thunders were quick to respond and douse the threat.

Kim Dong Uk dished out the extra pass to the open Kim Tae Sul who hit the 3-pointer from the left corner for Seoul’s 98-87 lead with 1:16 left in the game.

Seoul head coach Lee Sangmin said they didn’t feel that much pressure when they faced the Diamond Dolphins due to their familiarity with their opponents.

The Samsung Thunders held training camps in Japan and they were able to play against Nagoya during those trips.

“Before the Terrific 12 I was worried about the outcome but I’m glad we’re the third place team,” said Lee through a translator. “And we got to play against teams like Nagoya a lot during our training camps in Japan.”

Glenn Cosey led all scorers with 34 points with seven rebounds, and five assists while Ben Mbala had 27 points and 12 rebounds.

Lee Gwan Hee, who once played for Phoenix in the PBA, also had his own double-double with 16 points, on 4-of-8 shooting from three, and 10 rebounds.

Markeith Cummings, who played for NorthPort and Kia, led Nagoya with 29 points and eight rebounds while Shuto Ando had 18 points and five boards.