RotoWire – Zak Hanshew

The top-seeded Raptors Uprising GC faced 16-seed Gen.G Tigers on Thursday in the first round of the field of 16 in THE TURN, powered by AT&T. Raptors Uprising GC won the season’s first tournament (THE TIPOFF) and boasts a 13-0 regular-season record to enter this contest as heavy favorites.

Game 1 was competitive through the first quarter, though RUG used a commanding 29-16 second-quarter advantage to take a 48-29 lead into the break. With its foot off the gas, RUG played the second half to a near draw and finished the game with a 91-69 victory. Kenny Got Work had a monster performance in the win, going off for 51 points on a hyper-efficient 21-of-29 shooting from the floor, including 5-of-10 from deep. Sick One did his part with 14 points, 15 boards and six assists en route to the big win. For Gen.G Tigers, ShiftyKaii went for 29 points, and Gen provided 21. GenG. Tigers lost the turnover battle handily, coughing up the ball 19 times compared to just nine for Raptors Uprising GC.
In Game 2, Gen.G Tigers took the lead early, but it was once again a strong second quarter that propelled Raptors Uprising GC to a double-digit halftime lead. Kenny Got Work led RUG through two quarters with 16 points, and Sick One provided a strong line of 12 points, seven boards and five dimes. ShiftyKaii scored 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first half, though the other four starters combined for 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting.

Raptors Uprising GC turned it up in the second half, outscoring Gen.G Tigers 41-23 to win the contest by a massive 81-52 margin of victory. Kenny Got Work scored 19 of his 35 points in the second half and added nine assists and six steals. ReeceMode ended with 21 points, including 12 in the final frame, and Sick One flirted with a triple-double again. For Gen.G Tigers, ShiftyKaii led his team with 29 points, and Deadeye double-doubled with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

With the loss, Gen.G Tigers is eliminated from THE TURN, powered by AT&T. Raptors Uprising GC will move on to the next round and face the winner of T-Wolves Gaming and NetsGC on Friday for an opportunity to advance to the semifinals.