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Nuvo CLS Knights crushed Angsapura Evalube 86-33 on Friday, but the Surabaya club still failed to reach the semifinals of the Indonesian Basketball League Tournament.

Satria Muda Britama and Pelita Jaya Esia secured the top two spots in the Jakarta Group with three wins each, and they will play each other today to determine first place. The top two teams in each group advance to the last four.

“If the team underperforms, then it’s my responsibility,” Knights coach Simon Wong said after the game at Kuningan Basketball Hall in Jakarta. “Afterthis event, we’ll evaluate ourperformance.”

Nuvo was as a possible semifinal contender before the annual preseason tournament, and it held workouts in China as part of its preparation for the upcoming IBL season.

It also gave four-time defending IBL champion Satria Muda Britama a scare on Tuesday. The Knights controlled their tournament opener for three quarters before eventually falling 64-56.

A lack of consistency caught up with Nuvo, though, as it lost 76-56 to Pelita during its second game on Wednesday.

“The Pelita Jaya game was an anticlimax for us. We gave Satria Muda a hard fight, but we couldn’t match Pelita Jaya,” Simon said. “It cost us a final four berth, and I’m quite disappointed as we wanted to get into the final four.”

The 53-point rout of Angsapura provided little more than a morale boost and extra work on the court. Wijaya Saputra led the Knights with 17 points, while Agustinus Indrajaya and Jeffry Wong each had 11 points.

Nuvo has little time to feel sorry for itself. It will soon face another tough test as it hosts the Surabaya International Challenge at DBL Arena in Surabaya, East Java, on Dec. 4-6. The Knights will take on Garuda Flexi Bandung as well as the Darwin Airport Resort All-Stars from Australia and a team set up by Malaysian Basketball Association.

“I heard Malaysia will bring four foreign players to the event,” Knights general manager Christopher Tanuwidjaja said. “It will be a good experience for our young players.”

In the Bandung Group of the IBL Tournament, Bima Sakti Nikko Steel edged past Stadium Bhinneka Solo 48-47 at C-Tra Arena. Aspac Jakarta leads the group with three wins, followed by defending IBL Tournament champion Garuda Flexi with two victories.