MACAO – Seoul SK Knights rallied back to nip Zhejiang Guangsha Lions, 77-76, on Saturday night and book a trip to the finals of the East Asia League Terrific 12.
Import Jameel Warney scored on a two-handed dunk for the go-ahead basket with 1.6 seconds left after he stole the ball following a huge passing turnover of Jalen Reynolds to Aaron Jackson.
The Knights then became the first team to advance in the winner-take-all finale when Reynolds missed the potential game-winner for the Lions at the buzzer.
Warney, 25, part of Team USA that played in the Fiba World Cup qualifiers, finished with a game-high 29 points, 11 rebounds and three steals.
Fellow import Aaron Haynes also had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Knights, who face the winner of the other semifinal between San Miguel and Liaoning.
The title match is set on Sunday.
The loss was a sorry one for the Lions, who controlled the game majority of the way and even led by as many as 11 points.
The CBA side appeared to be on its way to the finals when it led, 76-75, following a miss by the Knights, until Reynolds committed that bonehead of a pass that led to a Warney basket.
The Lions will now play in the battle for third place worth $50,000.
The scores
Seoul SK Knights 77 – Warney 29, Haynes 16, An 10, M.S. Kim 9, J.Y. Choi 6, S.H. Kim 4, S.W. Choi 3, G.W. Kim 0.
Zhejiang Guangsha Lions 76 – Sun 11, Jackson 12, Li 12, Zhao 10, Reynolds 9, Su 3, Liu 3, Wu 0.
Quarterscores: 21-29; 39-39; 58-62; 77-76.
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