THE NUMBERS

Waseda 78, Korea University 71 (15-21, 19-21, 22-9, 22-20).

Korea University led for 68% of the game and by as many as 11 before Waseda took the game over with a 22-9 third quarter. Waseda made just 5 of 26 from 3-point range (19.2%) and won anyway, going 25 of 29 from the free throw line and committing 7 turnovers, tied for the fewest in a game at AUBL26, to KU's 21. KU won the rebounding 50-32 with 19 offensive boards and a 17-9 edge in second-chance points.

Shin Matsumoto scored 41 on 10-of-20 shooting with 5 threes and 16 of 18 from the line, breaking his own all-time AUBL scoring record of 36 set three days ago. He drew 14 fouls, the most at AUBL26. Eiji Shimoyama had 17 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds — the 12 assists tie the all-time AUBL record, and the 17-12 double-double is his third of the tournament, tying the single-season record.

Waseda (早稲田大学)

• Points: 41 — Shin Matsumoto (松本 秦), Player of the Game
• Rebounds: 8 — Eiji Shimoyama (下山 瑛司)
• Assists: 12 — Eiji Shimoyama (下山 瑛司), 17-12 double-double

Korea University (고려대학교)

• Points: 25 — Kim Jeong Hyun (김정현)
• Rebounds: 11 — Yoo Min Soo (유민수), 11-11 double-double
• Assists: 10 — Seok Jun Hwi (석준휘)

GAME RECAP

Shin Matsumoto (松本 秦) scored an AUBL-record 41 points, and Waseda beat Korea University 78-71 on Thursday to reach the semifinals in their first AUBL season.

Korea University led 51-44 with four minutes left in the 3rd quarter and did not score again until the 4th. Matsumoto made two free throws, a 3-pointer and two more free throws to tie it 51-51, Eiji Shimoyama (下山 瑛司) put Waseda ahead with a second-chance jumper, and Matsumoto closed the quarter with a second-chance three for a 56-51 lead. Waseda finished the 3rd quarter on a 12-0 run, outscoring KU 22-9 and never trailing again.

Until then, the game had belonged to KU. Shim Ju Eon (심주언) and Kim Jeong Hyun (김정현) carried KU to a 42-34 halftime lead that reached 11 in the 2nd quarter, built on a 17-9 edge in second-chance points.

Matsumoto scored in double figures in three of the four quarters and finished 16 of 18 from the line, drawing 14 fouls — the most by any player at AUBL26. His 41-point performance broke the all-time AUBL record of 36 he set against USyd three days ago; the two highest-scoring games in AUBL history now both belong to Matsumoto.

Shimoyama finished with 17 points, 12 assists and 8 rebounds in all 40 minutes, two rebounds short of the first triple-double in AUBL history. The 12 assists tie the all-time record Kim Jun Young set at AUBL25, and his third double-double of the tournament ties the single-season record — all three of them points-assists. Matsumoto and Kenichi Miura (三浦 健一) also played all 40.

Kim Jeong Hyun scored 25 and Yoo Min Soo (유민수) had 11 points and 11 rebounds for KU, who won the rebounding battle 50-32 but gave the ball away 21 times to Waseda's 7.

LOOKING AHEAD

Waseda advance to the semifinals, where they will face NCCU, unbeaten in AUBL history. Korea University drop to the placement games. The other semifinal has SJTU against the winner of Tsinghua and UP, who close the quarterfinals at 19:30 tonight.