Xinhua Stun Tagawa in NBL Upset
Xinhua beat Tagawa 73:55 in the NBL in Singapore on Friday, 19 September. We had backed the visitors with 52 per cent confidence, but the game went the other way. The home side pulled away from the start, and by then Tagawa had no answer.
The visitors came into the match looking solid. They had won three on the bounce, including a tight 53:53 against Tong Wi and a comfortable 72:61 over Siglap. To be fair, they were fifth in the table with five wins from nine. But the high line they played at got picked apart early, and Xinhua turned it on.
By then the visitors were already down. They tried to tighten things up in the second quarter, but the home team kept the pace up. Tagawa's defence looked disjointed, and every time they got close the hosts scored again. There is unrest in the dressing room for the away side, though that is an assessment, not a fact.
The statistics tell the story. Xinhua shot better from the field and controlled the boards. Tagawa had their chances but couldn't convert. The final margin of eighteen points felt comfortable for the home fans, who roared them on throughout.
After the match Xinhua remain eighth with three wins and six losses. Tagawa drop to fifth but stay level on points. The visitors fancy their chances in the next fixture, but they will need to show more than they did here.
We had predicted a Tagawa victory, but the home side simply outplayed them. The visitors let the tie slip through poor execution. That is what happens when you don't match the intensity from the opening tip.