Dragonflies dominates Eastern in EASL debut for first win of the season

October 16, 2024 – F-Pico Arena Fukuyama, Fukuyama, Japan 

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The Hiroshima Dragonflies claim their first win of their EASL season following a 78-67 victory over the EASL expansion club, Hong Kong Eastern. 

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The B.LEAGUE champions were dominant from beginning to end, with import Kerry Blackshear Jr. taking home the EASL Player of the Game honors.

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Post-Game Triple:

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1. Raining in Hiroshima

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The Dragonflies found their shooting stroke against Eastern, going 12-of-27 from 3-point land.

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Masato Ichikawa led the way shooting 3-of-5 from deep.

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Six of the team’s 10 active players hit a three in this one. In contrast, Hong Kong Eastern was only able to muster 1 3-pointer the entire game.

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2. Balanced scoring was key

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Hiroshima had only 10 players active for this game after the team was hit with the injury bug.

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With star Ryo Terashima and import Dwayne Evans on the shelf, the team found contributions from the entire roster, with nine of their 10 active players getting on the scoresheet.

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Blackshear led the way, scoring a team-high 17 points in the game.

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3. Frontcourt gives Eastern hope

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While Eastern left Hiroshima with a loss, there were many positives to take away from this game.

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Hong Kong’s imports showed their dominance in the frontcourt, with American Cameron Clark scoring a game-high 24 points in this game. Canadian center Chris McLaughlin also chipped in with 20 points.

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Eastern also shot 57% from two, with Clark and McLaughlin each going 9-of-12 inside.

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Hong Kong also outrebounded Hiroshima 39-32 in the game.

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EASL Player of the Game: Kerry Blackshear Jr. — Hiroshima Dragonflies

Import Kerry Blackshear Jr. was honored as EASL Player of the Game after registering a double-double in his team’s EASL debut.

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The 6-foot-10 forward scored a team-high 17 points, going to the charity stripe 11 times, and hitting 9-of-11 from the line.

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Blackshear also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and registered 2 steals and a block to end the day.

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Stat of the Game:

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Both teams were sloppy with the ball, as the two teams combined for 32 turnovers in this contest.

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Eastern guard Kobey Lam led the team with 5 turnovers in this game, while Hiroshima’s Nick Mayo led the team with 4 turnovers.

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Upcoming Games:

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Hiroshima Dragonflies: Away vs. Hong Kong Eastern – Oct. 30, 2024

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Hong Kong Eastern: Home vs. Hiroshima Dragonflies – Oct. 30, 2024

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