MACAU—Blackwater failed to handle the speed of Seoul as it lost in the opener, 93-77, of the East Asia Super League: The Terrific 12 Tuesday at Tap Seac Sports Pavilion here.
The Knights were quicker to their feet, outpacing the Elite every time down and taking a clear 23-8 advantage in fastbreak points.
This quick pace was what allowed Seoul to quell the Elite’s comeback in the third quarter and blow the game wide open in the final frame.
Blackwater was down 43-26 with 3:56 left in the game but it staged a 20-3 run across the two middle quarters tying the game at 46-all off of Alex Stepheson’s one-hand jam.
Seoul, however, quickly countered with a 13-4 run with Aaron Haynes’ layup giving the SK Knights a 59-50 lead with 5:42 remaining in the penuiltimate quarter.
“I thought we started the game really flat today and we cannot let that happen tomorrow but I thought we closed out the first half the way we wanted,” said Blackwater head coach Aris Dimaunahan.
“The consistency, however, is not there and maybe that’s the reason we lost the game.”
Blackwater fell to a 0-1 record in Group A and it will have to beat B.League’s Chiba in its second game on Wednesday to have a chance of cracking the semifinals of the tournament.
Stepheson led the Elite with 19 points and 19 rebounds while Marqus Blakely, Blackwater’s import for the PBA Governors’ Cup, had 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists.
Jameel Warney had 24 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, and three steals to lead the Knights.