A 20-point halftime deficit is the kind of hole most teams don’t climb out of. Henry Mwinuka’s RSSB Tigers did exactly that on Day 2 of the FIBA Intercontinental Cup, and the head coach didn’t hide how hard it was.
“I’m so happy today for this win because it was really tough,” Mwinuka said afterward. “Half-time we were down more than 20 points. We got it slow until the fourth quarter, then overtime.”
The shift, by his telling, came down to a single message delivered to his players at the break. “All the people, the players, because in half-time I told them, you know what, we change the way we play. Our signature, our intensity, is our defence. So if we had defence, two quarters, third quarter and fourth quarter, and then overtime, that’s what we want.”
He extended the credit beyond the locker room as well. “I’m so happy for the fans too.”
With one game down, Mwinuka’s focus had already shifted forward. “We have a race tomorrow, and then we’ll see if they adjust a little bit. But the adjustment today after half-time was really good, so we’re going to keep that for the next game in the semis, especially on defence.
RSSB Tigers edged the Shanghai Sharks 117-115 in overtime on Day 2 of FIBA Intercontinental Cup Group A play at the National Indoor Stadium in Beijing, surviving a back-and-forth extra period capped by a missed buzzer-beating three-pointer from Shanghai.
Shanghai set the tone early, matching 30-point outputs in the first and second quarters to build a commanding 60-46 halftime lead behind a red-hot Goodwin Brandon. RSSB clawed back with a 25-25 third quarter to stay within striking distance before outscoring Shanghai 32-18 in the fourth to force overtime, with Craig Randall II burying a game-tying three-pointer with 12 seconds left in regulation to send the game to the extra period at 103-103.
The two sides traded baskets throughout overtime, and with the score tied at 115-115 in the closing seconds, Antino Jackson was fouled by Zhenlin Zhang on a three-point attempt and made two of his three free throws to put RSSB ahead 117-115. Goodwin got one last look for Shanghai but missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer, sealing the win for the Tigers.
Goodwin was sensational for Shanghai despite the loss, finishing with a game-high 37 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including 13-of-17 from the free-throw line, while Tianrong Li added 22 points. Zhelin Wang was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field for 17 points, and Zhenlin Zhang chipped in 14.
For RSSB, Randall II led his team with 30 points despite shooting just 39.3 percent on heavy volume, and Tyler Bey added 19 points on 5-of-8 shooting with 9-of-10 free throws. Osborn Shema scored 16 off the bench, and Ntore Habimana added 15.
