Tokyo Excellence triumph in NBDL championship game

In the National Basketball Development League’s title game on Sunday, the Tokyo Excellence defeated the Toyota Tsusho Fighting Eagles 93-77.

Shooting guard Yusuke Karino led the Excellence (31-3 overall) with 33 points on 13-for-19 shooting in Gifu. Takaki Ishida, who played for the Chiba Jets during the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons before the team defected from the bj-league to the National Basketball League, added 17 points, including 11-for-12 at the free-throw line. Joseph Wolfinger added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Markhuri Sanders had 10 points and 11 boards.

Toyota Tsusho (31-3) had beaten Tokyo during all three of the teams’ regular-season meetings.

The Excellence outscored the Fighting Eagles 61-39 in the second half.

Guard Yasuyuki Miyazaki paced Toyota Tsusho with 24 points, knocking down 6 of 12 3-point shots.

In the third-place game, TGI D-Rise beat Aisin AW Areions 79-66.

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