Bank of Taiwan kept their hold on first place in the Super Basketball League (SBL), despite losing 83-68 to the Yulon Luxgen Dinos yesterday at the Kaohsiung Arena (K-Arena).
Despite their loss, Bank of Taiwan center Charles Garcia from the US added to his stellar performance this season by netting a game-high 33 points and picking up 13 rebounds.
Also at the K-Arena yesterday, Kinmen Kaoliang edged the Dacin Tigers 72-69, followed by Taiwan Beer’s 77-73 victory over the Fubon Braves in the evening.
Photo: Huang Chih-yuan, Taipei Times
After yesterday, the Bankers have collected eight wins to secure their place on top of the rankings, with Yulon and Pauian Archiland tied for second place with seven wins each.
Garcia, in recognition of his key role with the Bankers this season, was voted the league’s MVP for last month.
The 2.03m player from Los Angeles stands at the top of the stats tables with a game average of 23.5 points, 13.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists last month.
In the battle of two US centers on Friday, Garcia had the edge in baskets over Quincy Davis, despite Davis leading Pauian Archiland to a narrow three-point win over Bank of Taiwan.
In that match, which ended 81-78, Garcia scored 16 points compared with Davis’ 10, but the latter took the crown for rebounds with 16, four better than Garcia.
Also on Friday, Yulon defeated Kinmen Kaoliang 83-66, while the Dacin Tigers thrashed Taiwan Beer 71-58 at the K-Arena.
Many fans petitioned league officials to add Garcia to the national squad, which would require Garcia to follow in Davis’ footsteps by becoming a naturalized citizen after playing for three seasons in Taiwan and agreeing to drop his US citizenship.
“I am happy to learn that the fans want me to play for Taiwan, but for me to have such an opportunity, I have to prove myself in the SBL,” Garcia said.
“In the coming weeks, I will talk to Davis about his naturalization process and what he went through. From my understanding, Davis made big contributions to the national squad and earned the respect of his coaches and fellow players,” Garcia said.
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