DUBAI (UAE) – Semi-finals from Group B are yet to be confirmed as Belita Jaya upset Shahrdari Gorgan, while Hiroshima Dragonflies take care of business against KCC Aegis.
In Division A, hosts Shabab Al Ahly secured a win against NS Matrix Tears in their first match.
Hiroshima Dragonflies vs KCC Egis Basketball Club
The Hiroshima Dragonflies opened with a 107-77 win over KCC Egis.
The Japanese B.LEAGUE champions controlled the pace of the game early on. The Dragonflies ended the first quarter with an 18-0 run that stretched to 25 unanswered points in seven scoreless minutes for KCC Egis.
They were unstoppable in the first half, shooting 60 percent from the field with eight of 11 three-point attempts. The Dragonflies continued their dominant run throughout the game. They finish the game shooting less than 60 percent from the field while making 16 of 29 attempts from the three-point line.
Toshiki Kamizawa continued to light it up with 15 points on five three-pointers, though this time it was Dwayne Evans who led the game in scoring. Evans scored 24 points while collecting eight rebounds and four assists.
It was a double celebration for Shilitsi Kawada, who celebrated his birthday today while posting a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
Playing without Alphonso McKinney in this game, seeing limited minutes from Chang Kiochang and Heo Ung and fouling Choi Junyang, the KCC Aggies struggled to find a rhythm. They were led by Dion Thompson with 18 points and nine rebounds.
Belita Jaya Basketball vs Shahrdari Gorgan
Needing a win to keep their BCL Asia campaign alive, Belita suffered a 97-90 defeat against Jaya Gorgon.
With JaQuori McLaughlin sitting the game out for Belita Jaya, Justin Brownlee quickly took matters into his own hands, scoring 10 points in the first quarter and setting the tone. At halftime, the Indonesian team was up 50-45 and Brownlee had a total of 21 points on 8-10 shooting in those first two periods.
The lead grew to double digits to 10 points, but Corgan never trailed. They battled back time and time again, cutting the lead to a two-point deficit at different moments, but never able to overcome the gap.
James Dickey went for 40 points and 17 rebounds, capping off an impressive double-double debut with a big encore. His points total is the most by any player in this BCL Asia, while his 17 rebounds are set by himself.
Justin Brownlee also had a huge game with 32 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. But that’s not all about the contributions of the two stars. The backcourt tandem of Andakara Prastawa and Muhammad Ariki Noor combined for 20 points, while Joseph Young and Will Cherry made it as difficult as possible for Corgan to put points on the board.
Cherry (24 points) and Young (21 points) both led Corgan in scoring, but it took 43 attempts to get there. Salar Monji had 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Corgan should make an immediate recovery in a crucial game against the Hiroshima Dragonflies tomorrow (June 11) at 3:30pm (GMT +4). Belita Jaya will face KCC Egis in a crucial clash on June 12 at 3:30pm (GMT +4).
Shabab Al Ahli vs NS matrix deer
In the first game of BCL Asia 2024 for both teams, Shabab Al Ahli showed they didn’t need much time to warm up in a 92-76 win over NS Matrix Tears.
After a hard-fought first quarter, Shabab Al Ahli went on a 19-0 run to take the lead in the second quarter.
The home fans saw five players score in double figures for their home team led by Marcus Georges-Hunt with 24 points. Qais Omar Alshabebi also had his way in the paint to the tune of 19 points and 6 rebounds.
John Murray (20 points, 6 rebounds, 6 steals) and Ding Chun Hong (19 points) led the NS Matrix Tears in defeat.
Both teams will play tomorrow (June 10) against Liaoning Flying Leopards at 6:30pm (GMT +4) and against Shabab Al Ahli Al Riyadh at 9:30pm (GMT +4).
FIBA
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