Glen Yang of the Bay Area Dragons in the EASL. –Pool Photo
UTSUNOMIYA — Seoul SK clawed back from 18 points down on Thursday night to stun Bay Area, 92-84, in the two clubs’ East Asia Super League Champions Week debut at Nikkan Arena here.
Import Jameel Warney had 30 points that went with 18 rebounds, while Korean national team fixture Kim Sun-hyung chipped in 22 more to spur the Knights’ fightback and notch a key first win in the five-day showcase.
After being in control for most of the game, the Dragons found themselves on the nasty end of a blistering, 21-0 late in the third quarter that the Korean Basketball League champions sustained up until the first few minutes of the payoff frame.
Andrew Nicholson had 35 points and 15 rebounds while Myles Powell pumped in 25 points and eight assists in their first official game together for Bay Area. But with just Hayden Blankley contributing with 12 more, the EASL’s very own club sputtered towards the end.
“They ran out of gas in the end. They were bearing a heavy load. They got us a lead, and I should have given them a couple of minutes in that third quarter and I didn’t. I kick myself for it as we came down the back stretch,” said Brian Goorjian, whose crew last played competitively in the PBA’s Commissioner’s Cup last Jan. 15.
“I got to take this in myself, see what this all means. It’s important for the organization that we come out tomorrow and we play real hard and respectful, but the reality of this is this loss is pretty devastating,” he added.
Seoul looks to annex a second-straight win and pretty much lock a berth in the final when it goes up against TNT this Friday.
Bay Area, meanwhile, shoots for a rebound against hometown bet Utsunomiya, which whipped the Tropang Giga by 33 points on Wednesday night.