P. LEAGUE+ (PLG) champion the Taipei Fubon Braves were outclassed by Anyang KGC in their East Asia Super League Champions Week’s opener Wednesday, suffering a 25-point 94-69 defeat to the South Korea team.
The defense of the South Korean team proved too strong to penetrate, as the Braves broke down around the last six minutes from trailing a 14-point game, to lose by 25 points at the Nikkan Arena in Utsunomiya, Japan.
Braves center Ihor Zaytsev led his team with 20 points, five rebounds, and two assists, while two-time PLG finals MVP Mike Singletary posted a double-double of 17 points, 10 rebounds, and four dimes.
However, it was Anyang big man Omari Spellman who led all scorers with 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist, and one block, while his teammate Darryl Monroe recorded 21 points, 21 rebounds, five assists, and two steals.
In comparison, Anyang dominated the boards, collecting 44 rebounds, 11 more than Taipei’s 33, giving the South Korean team second chance opportunities while stopping the Braves from doing the same.
At the post-game press conference, Braves head coach Roger Hsu (???) said in addition to not grabbing enough rebounds, his team did not shoot well from the perimeter and had trouble locking down Anyang’s import players.
“Our local players were unable to perform well in scoring. We hope to quickly find confidence and prepare for our next game,” Hsu said.
After the tipoff, the Braves suffered a breakdown to allow Anyang KGC to take an 11-0 run before fighting back to finish off the first quarter trailing 24-19.
Anyang charged ahead to produce a 10-point margin with around 5 minutes left in the first half. Whenever the Braves cut the deficit down to just one possession, the South Korean team will always find a way to break away, establishing a 13-point halftime lead with the scores at 49-36.
After the break, Anyang continued to dominate the offensive rebounds to set up second-chance shots to maintain their lead, bringing the score to 71-57 at the end of the third quarter.
Protecting its 14-point lead, Anyang pushed ahead to a 25-point difference 86-61 with just under six minutes on the clock, forcing the Braves to call a timeout.
Without finding the right chemistry to get their offense going, the Braves made too many unforced errors in the final minutes to close the game with a 94-69 defeat to Anyang.
The Braves’ next game in the pan-regional East Asian Super League is on March 4 in Okinawa against Japan’s Ryukyu Golden Kings.
March’s EASL competition features the 2021-2022 champions and runners-up of Japan’s B. League and South Korea’s KBL, the top two teams in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup, the champion of the 2021-2022 PLG season, and the EASL-owned Bay Area Dragons.
The eight teams are split into two four-team groups, but each team will only play two other teams in their group, with the two group winners vying for the US$250,000 first prize on March 5. The group runners-up will play for the US$50,000 third prize the same day.
The other team in the Braves’ group is the San Miguel Beermen, winners of the 2022 Philippine Cup.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel