The third quarter was a war of attrition. Flowstate's conditioning, forged on the humid courts of Manila, began to show. They ran, they pressed, they never stopped moving.
Teo, having found a measure of confidence, began to demand the ball. He couldn't overpower Murasakibara, but he could outwork him, using footwork and a soft touch to score in the paint. 35-32.
Riki, sensing a shift, became a predator. He hounded Akashi, not for steals, but to drain the clock, to force the prodigy to work for every inch. The rhythm of Teikō's offense, once a metronome, began to stutter.
Renz hit a three from the wing. 35-35.
Then Drei stole a lazy pass from Kise and took it coast-to-coast for a layup. 37-35.
For the first time, Flowstate had the lead. The silence from the Teikō bench was deafening. Akashi's calm expression didn't change, but his eyes narrowed slightly. The machine had encountered an unexpected variable.