NONTHABURI (FIBA Asia Champions Cup 2018) — Daiki Tanaka (17 points) didn’t need his game-ending buzzer-beating long three-pointer to fall in for Alvark Tokyo to get their win over the defending champions Al-Riyadi, but it was a proper ending to the night Alvark was having. The shot added three more points on to the board and allowed Alvark to claim an 87-76 win.

Alvark Tokyo had a masterful victory, shooting 50% from the floor and nearly had all 9 fielded players talley themselves on the scoreboard. Alex Kirk was solid from start to finish, putting up 29 points on 9/14 shooting while grabbing 13 rebounds as well. Kirk was the one that put the nail in the coffin by finishing off an alleyoop pass that put Alvark up 83-76 with only 36 seconds left in the game.

The pass was orchestrated by Seiya Ando who spent the whole evening hounding Al-Riyadi’s star Mark Lyons, which was key to Alvark’s win. Ando’s defensive efforts made it a delightful surprise that he made his biggest impact on the offensive end of the court. Other than the aforementioned alleyoop pass, Ando had previously knocked down a tough up-and-under bank shot which made it a two-possession game with only a little over one minute to go in the game. It would only be his 4th point in the game, but he surely made it count.

The final stretch dominated by Alvark Tokyo ruined an inspiring comeback rally by Al-Riyadi that found themselves trailing for most of the game. Bassel Bawji and Cheikh Hussein El Khatib combined for 8 points in the middle of the fourth quarter to claim Al-Riyadi’s first lead since the opening quarter, but it was a lead that would hold on. Guard Mark Lyons poured in an impressive effort of 23 points, 3 assists, and 5 steals but he also went 0-9 from downtown in the loss.

Taking down the FIBA Asia Champions Cup defending champions is no easy task but Alvark Tokyo were able to do it with balanced offense and crisp passing. They compiled a total of 22 assists, contrasting with only 13 assists from the Al-Riyadi side.

Alvark Tokyo will play the first game of Day 2 at the FIBA Asia Champions Cup against the Meralco Bolts at 1:00 PM (GMT +7) which will be followed by the matchup of Al-Riyadi against Mono Vampire Basketball Club at 3:30 PM.

FIBA