Reach USA 78 Bayi 77

Shizhu, China-In a see-saw affair that came down to three free throws with no time  on the clock, Reach USA managed to edge out the Bayi Rockets 78-77 to take a 3-2 in the series.

Both teams held leads of 8 or more in the game, but could not hold off their foe.

The Reach team had a 3-point lead at the end of the first quarter only to see the score tied at the end of the second and third stanzas.  The US team had an 11 point lead with 6 minutes to go, but failure to hit free throws in the last four minutes ( going 3-8) allowed Bayi to take a 3 point lead with less than two minutes to go.

After cutting the lead to one on a Malik Story bucket, following a stop, Reach missed a jumper but Josh Harrelson muscled away a steal and scored to put Reach up by one.  Again, a missed shot by the Chinese team put Reach in a position with under a minute to stretch the lead, but a missed shot set the stage for another hard fought ending for the visitors.  A steal by Peyton Siva and a score put the game at 78-77.  Reach tried to foul intentionally but waited too long and made the mistake of fouling on a three-point attempt at the buzzer.  Fortunately, the Chinese player missed the first free throw attempt to help ensure a hard fought win for us.

Robby