RotoWire – Jason Shebilske

Gen.G Tigers maintained their tournament prowess by sweeping Magic Gaming on Wednesday to advance in THE TURN, powered by AT&T.

Magic Gaming shot 6-for-8 from the field during the first quarter of Game 1, but they committed four turnovers, which helped Gen.G Tigers get more opportunities as they went 9-for-16 from the floor and took a 17-14 lead into the second quarter. The Tigers maintained their momentum in the second quarter, forcing four more turnovers while shooting 8-for-12 on their field goal attempts as they increased their lead to 38-26 at the half.

Gen.G Tigers faltered slightly in the third quarter by committing four turnovers of their own, but the teams were gridlocked on the scoreboard. At the end of the frame, the margin remained the same as the Tigers held a 53-41 lead. However, the Magic mounted a comeback attempt over the fourth quarter. The scoring margin remained relatively similar over the first three and a half minutes of the frame, but the Magic shot 11-for-14 over the quarter and went on an 11-4 run to bring the deficit to seven points with 40.9 seconds remaining. However, the Tigers drilled several timely shots in the closing seconds to win the first game 70-65. ShiftyKaii led Gen.G Tigers with 34 points and nearly had a double-double with nine assists. Deadeye had an 11-point, 14-rebound double-double while Gen pitched in with 13 points. Reizey was the top scorer for Magic Gaming with 25 points and nine rebounds despite shooting just 11-for-21, and DT also put up a nice performance with 14 points and 13 rebounds.

The Tigers carried their momentum from their first win into the first two minutes of Game 2 as they came out with eight unanswered points. However, ShiftyKaii then went cold, and the Magic regrouped after a timeout to go on a 13-2 run over the next three minutes. Magic Gaming finished the first quarter with a 19-18 lead while going 9-for-11 over the final four minutes of the quarter. Neither team was able to get much going offensively over the start of the second quarter, but each team shot the ball well over the final few minutes, and Gen.G Tigers emerged with a narrow 35-34 lead at halftime.

Gen.G Tigers forced four turnovers in the third quarter and gained some separation despite shooting just 6-for-12 over the quarter. Reizey scored 10 of the 12 points for Magic Gaming over the third frame, but it wasn’t enough as the Tigers brought the lead to 52-46 heading into the final quarter. The Magic kept the deficit fairly even during the fourth quarter, but they were unable to gain any traction as Gen.G Tigers earned the sweep with a 69-61 victory. Despite his cold stretch late in the first quarter, ShiftyKaii finished with 30 points and 10 assists for the Tigers, while TURNUPDEFENSE (15 points), Flac (10 points, six rebounds) and Deadeye (14 points, nine rebounds, seven assists) combined to go 17-for-18 on their field goal attempts over the second game. For Magic Gaming, Reizey finished with the highest point total from either team with 34 points along with seven assists, but he also committed six turnovers. DT had another double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and ToXsiK put up 15 points, but they were unable to keep up with the Tigers as their tournament ended early.

Gen.G Tigers will advance in THE TURN, powered by AT&T and get a tournament rematch against Raptors Uprising GC on Wednesday, while Magic Gaming will be off until Aug. 4, when they face Pacers Gaming in their next regular season contest.