A strong third-quarter performance lifted the Alvark Tokyo and transformed the outcome of Sunday's B. League Championship quarterfinal contest against the San-en NeoPhoenix.
Defensively, the Alvark were tenacious in that game-changing stanza en route to an 83-74 Game 2 victory at Yoyogi National Gymnasium No. 2.
Fourth-seeded Tokyo, which trailed 38-34 at halftime, held the visitors to nine third-quarter points, while nearly doubling that output with 17 points. That set the stage for the hosts' 32-point outburst in the fourth quarter, which was fueled by a 15-0 run that bridged the third and fourth quarters.