MANILA, Philippines – Carl Tamayo saw his best game in a Ryukyu Golden Kings uniform go to waste as they fell to the New Taipei Kings in a tight one, 67-63, in the East Asia Super League (EASL) at the New Taipei Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan on Wednesday, January 10.
In a rare starting role for the defending Japan B. League champion Golden Kings, Tamayo showed what he is capable of when given the opportunity, dropping a team-best 16 points, to go along with 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block.
Tamayo, who played a game-high 34 minutes and 52 seconds, knocked down 4 of his 9 attempts from beyond the arc en route to his 16-point output – his highest scoring performance yet as a pro.
He eclipsed his previous career-high of 15 points, which he set in Ryukyu’s 2023-2024 B. League season opener last October.
Despite struggling from the three-point area all game long, former NBA star Jeremy Lin delivered when it mattered the most for New Taipei as he swished his one and only long bomb with 26.6 seconds left to give the Kings a two-possession lead over Ryukyu, 67-63.
Tamayo had a chance to counter Lin’s cold-blooded trey and pull Ryukyu back to just a single point in the next play, but his three-point attempt failed to find the bottom of the net this time.
It was Kenny Manigault who showed the way for New Taipei with a double-double of 16 points and 13 rebounds, while Lin finished with 15 markers on 5-of-13 shooting, 4 boards, 6 assists, and 1 block.
Keita Imamura backstopped Tamayo with 13 points, while Ryuichi Kishimoto and Jack Cooley added 10 each.
With an unblemished 4-0 record, New Taipei became the second team to advance to the Final Four of the home-and-away tournament, joining B. League powerhouse Chiba Jets.
Ryukyu – which dropped to a 2-3 slate – will get another crack at New Taipei in its final game of the elimination round on January 24 at the Okinawa Arena in Japan. – Rappler.com
