BEIJING (China) - There have been crazy finishes in recent history of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, but you will have to search far and wide to find a more thrilling than the one the RSSB Tigers and Shanghai Sharks put together.
Meanwhile, the NBA G League United eliminated the Beijing Royal Fighters from the Semi-Finals hunt.
Shanghai Sharks 115-117 RSSB Tigers (OT)
It looked like it was going to be a one-sided affair, as the Chinese Basketball Association champions kept their foot on the gas pedal, storming to a 60-point first half against the Basketball Africa League title holders.
With Brandon Goodwin doing everything, the bigs Zhelin Wang and Zhenlin Zhang dominating inside, and Tianrong Li knocking down three-pointers, the gap spread all the way to 19 points midway through the third quarter.
Many teams would've given up right there on the spot, but the RSSB Tigers aren't one of those.
The African champions put on an incredible run, which included blocks, stops, deflections, fastbreaks, three-pointers, and a monstrous dunk by Teafale Lenard Jr late in the game.
By the start of the fourth quarter, they cut the deficit to 10 points, soon after they were in single digits, and before you blinked, the Tigers had one possession to force overtime.
Of course, coaches Henry Mwinuka and James Maye knew whose number to dial. And of course, Craig Randall II answered the call.
With his three-pointer, the game was sent to additional five minutes of action, where Tyler Bey found the clutch buckets, captain Antino Jackson Jr made the crucial free throws, and Brandon Goodwin's final attempt at the buzzer did not fall.
Goodwin did set a record for most points in a single game in recent FIBA Intercontinental Cup history, finishing with 37 points on 11-of-15 field goal shooting and 13-of-17 from the line, albeit in defeat.
Randall II had a team-high 30 for RSSB, Bey finished with 19, while Osborn Shema and Ntore Habimana provided some much needed Rwandan energy off the bench with 31 points between them on 12-of-15 shooting.
The Tigers are now 1-1, and have to wait for Thursday's matchup between Rytas Vilnius and Shanghai Sharks to know if they made it to the Semi-Finals or not.
Rytas win would send both the Lithuanians and the Tigers through. Any win by Shanghai sends the Chinese champs through, while Rytas can afford a defeat by up to 35 points and still make it through.
# | TEAM | GP | W | L | PTS FOR | PTS AGT | +/- | POINTS |
1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 206 | 222 | -16 | 3 | |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 107 | 89 | 18 | 2 | |
3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 115 | 117 | -2 | 1 |
Beijing Royal Fighters 89-119 NBA G League United
The second game of the second day was a much calmer one, as the G Leaguers were quick to make it a double digit lead in the opening minutes and never looked back again.
They were in triple digits early in the fourth quarter, with six of their players reaching double figures. Caleb Grill had the most, 18 points on four threes, three of them coming in the first quarter alone.
John Ukomadu had a pair of blocks with his 15 points, Eric Dixon scored 14 off the bench, while Kylor Kelley picked up a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds.
Lester Quinones and James Bouknight did not have to force the issue as the two programed top scorers of this team, they had 23 points between them on 7-of-12 shooting.
The US representatives will now face Boca Juniors to decide who gets the top spot in the group ahead of the Semi-Finals.
The Royal Fighters dropped to 0-2 and will finish third in Group B no matter what happens on Thursday. Javonte Cooke joined the 30-point club with 30 points on 7-of-12 three-point shooting.
# | TEAM | GP | W | L | PTS FOR | PTS AGT | +/- | POINTS |
1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 119 | 89 | 30 | 2 | |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 88 | 78 | 10 | 2 | |
3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 167 | 207 | -40 | 2 |