G League United blow out Beijing, RSSB Tigers stun Shanghai Sharks in overtime at FIBA Intercontinental Cup

Day 2 delivered a blowout and a nail-biter at the 2026 FIBA Intercontinental Cup, the 36th edition of the event and the first of three straight years the tournament will spend in Beijing under a new hosting agreement, after three editions in Singapore. Six teams are split into two groups, with the top two in each group reaching the semifinals, the third-place finishers from each group meeting in the Fifth-Place Game on Saturday, September 26, and the championship and third-place games set for Sunday, September 27.

G League United's balanced attack sinks Beijing

G League United never let Beijing breathe. The winners jumped out early and rode efficient shooting across the board, never trailing. A 33-20 first-quarter blitz turned into a 29-24 second, and by the final buzzer the scoreboard read a lopsided 119-89. Six players finished in double figures, — balance that buried the Royal Fighters from start to finish.

Beijing had no answer, and now sits 0-2 in Group B after its second straight defeat, as noted by BigNewsNetwork. The bruises started Monday, September 22, when Boca Juniors ripped off a 27-13 second quarter to pull away for an 88-78 win, according to Eurobasket, after the Argentine club had matched Beijing's 22-point opening frame with 24 of its own.

RSSB Tigers rally past Shanghai Sharks in overtime

RSSB Tigers needed every second of extra time to survive Shanghai, grinding out a 117-115 win in what LatinBasket called an "overtime thriller." Xinhua, via BigNewsNetwork, confirmed the same final score and called it the Rwandan club's first win of the tournament — a much-needed bounce-back after an 80-63 loss to Rytas Vilnius in their Group A opener on September 22, according to 365Scores' box score.

Head coach Henry Mwinuka pointed to a halftime defensive shakeup as the spark behind the comeback, according to The New Times. Guard Craig Randall II soaked in the moment afterward, giving credit to the traveling fan base: "Rwanda got the best fans in the world. We travel, and when [we're here they support us]," he said in comments shared on Instagram.

Shanghai walked away empty-handed despite a scorching night from Brandon Goodwin, who dropped 37 points in his first FIBA Intercontinental Cup appearance in Beijing, according to FIBA.basketball. Goodwin had been named MVP of last season's Chinese Basketball Association Finals while leading Shanghai to its first title since Yao Ming suited up for the club, but not even that kind of scoring outburst could save the Sharks from the overtime heartbreak.

With group play still churning, Wednesday's results reshaped the picture in Beijing: G League United stamped its authority in Group B while the host Royal Fighters now face a steep climb, and RSSB Tigers' overtime escape gave the Rwandan club its first taste of victory at this year's tournament.