Coleby fouls out in double overtime loss

It was not the end result that Kadeem Coleby and the Akita Happinets wanted as the Bahamian big man fouled out in the second overtime of their game against Niigata Albirex at the CAN Arena Akita in Akita, Japan, on Wednesday night, falling 110-102.

Coleby manage to record a double-double as he finished with 19 points and a team-high 11 rebounds in 37 minutes of play but it came in a loss.

That loss evens the Happinets off with an 8-8 win/loss record, sitting in seventh in the top professional basketball league, the B1 League, in the East Division, in Japan. Albirex is behind them in eighth with a 7-10 record.

The Bahamian was able to stay hot from the field as he went 7-for-9 from the floor, making 77.8 percent of his shots. He was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free-throw line. In the first overtime, Coleby scored seven points as he went 2-for-2 from the field. He was also perfect from the charity stripe as he made all three of his attempts. Coleby was able to finish with two assists, two steals and three blocks.

This was the Happinets’ fourth straight loss.

The sixth-year player had a slow start to the game as he scored just two points in the first quarter. The Happinets managed to keep the game close, taking a 24-23 lead at the end of the first quarter.

After a horrendous 31.6 percent shooting in the second quarter, the Happinets fell behind. Albirex outscored the Happinets 21-16 in the second quarter to go into the intermission up 44-40.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the visitors went on a 6-0 run but the Happinets remained in contention. The Bahamian managed to grab one of his nine offensive rebounds with 44 seconds remaining in regulation before being fouled as he went up for a layup. He went on to get his 11th and 12th points of the night from the free throw line to cut Albirex lead down to 78-75.

It was 18 seconds later when the big man dished his second assist of the night, finding Takatoshi Furukawa, who had 22 points in the game. Furukawa buried a perimeter shot and moments later, he hit a jump shot to tie the game at 80. That came with 12 seconds remaining. Furukawa managed to get another shot off with three seconds left on the clock but missed and the game went into overtime.

After a competitive 15-15 first overtime period, the game was tied at 95.

Former Wichita State University (WSU) Shockers player Coleby picked up his fifth foul with 2:18 remaining in the second overtime period. At this point, the Happinets led 102-100.

Coleby’s exit was crucial as Albirex ended the game on a 10-0 run to record the win.

Albirex’s 13 made three-pointers compared to Happinets’ six was a difference maker in the game.

It’s not the start in December that the Happinets had hoped for. They have two home games on Saturday and Sunday against the Hiroshima Dragonflies. The Dragonflies sport a 4-12 record and are in the eighth position in the B1 League West Division. The Saturday game is set to get underway at 6:05 p.m. On Sunday, the game will tip off at 2:05 p.m. All times are in Japan Standard Time (JST), 14 hours ahead of local time here in The Bahamas.

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