Macau Black Bears Pull Off Upset in New Taipei

October 23, 2024 – Xinzhuang Gymnasium, New Taipei City, Chinese Taipei

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The Macau Black Bears won their first EASL game in franchise history following an incredible upset over early-season favorites, the New Taipei Kings.

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Macau took the reigns early, jumping to an 11-point lead after the first quarter. The team never looked back, pulling away late in the fourth quarter to win, 109-97.

Black Bears captain Jeantal Cylla led the way with a game-high 32 points, shooting 12-of-18 from the field, including 5 3-pointers.

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Post-Game Triple:

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1. Short rotation for both teams

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Both teams fielded a short rotation on Wednesday, as the New Taipei Kings and the Macau Black Bears each had just nine active players on their rosters.

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New Taipei Kings Head Coach Ryan Marchand talked about his team’s short rotation during halftime of Wednesday’s game: “We have a lot of injuries. Our bench depth is really small right now, so we just make sure we stay healthy.”

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The Kings mostly played a six-man rotation, as Jeremy Lin, Joseph Lin, Lee Kai-Yan, Sani Sakakini, Jason Washburn and Kenny Manigault each played over 28 minutes.

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The Macau Black Bears brought just nine players to New Taipei. However, seven players played over 13 minutes for a more balanced rotation, with all seven players each getting on the scoresheet.

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2. Black Bears raining 3’s

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The Macau Black Bears were on target from deep on Wednesday, going 17 of 33 from beyond the arc for 51.5%.

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Jenning Leung led the way, going 5 for 8 from deep. Leading scorer Jeantal Cylla also hit 5 3-pointers in the game.

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In contrast, the Kings struggled from the 3-point line. Despite taking more 3’s, they only managed to hit 7 3’s all game for 20%.

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Kings’ star Jeremy Lin was just 2-for-10 from deep, finishing with a team-high 21 points.

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3. Historical win for Macau

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The Black Bears’ victory over the Kings marked their first EASL win in franchise history.

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Macau was one of two expansion teams going into this season, the other being Hong Kong Eastern.

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After losing to the PBA-side Meralco Bolts at the 2024 EASL Tip-Off on Oct. 2, the Black Bears rallied against one of the pre-season favorites, the New Taipei Kings, who qualified for the 2024 EASL Final Four last season.

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With four games to go, including three home games in Studio City Macau, and having proven to have the firepower to beat favorites like New Taipei, the Black Bears may be a darkhorse coming out from Group B, as they look to book a ticket to the 2025 Final Four in March 2025.

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EASL Player of the Game: Jeantal Cylla - Macau Black Bears

Jeantal Cylla has been an integral part of Macau’s lineup in the team’s two games in the EASL.

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After scoring a game-high 23 points in the team’s EASL opener against the Meralco Bolts during 2024 EASL Tip-Off, Cylla scored a game-high 32 points against the New Taipei Kings.

The 6-foot-6 forward was lethal from the field on Wednesday, going 5-for-9 from 3 and 12-for-18 from the field for 68%.

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Cylla also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists in the game.

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Stat of the Game:

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Shot efficiency was the key difference in the Macau Black Bears’ victory over the New Taipei Kings.

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Macau was 41-of-72 from the field for 57%. In contrast, while the Kings shot 10 more shots than their counterpart, New Taipei went just 47% from the field, hitting just 39 of their 82 shots in the game.

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While Cylla went 68% from the field, Jenning Leung was also extremely efficient in his shot-making, going 6-for-9 from the field, while shooting 63% from 3.

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Quote of the Game: Macau Black Bears' Jeantal Cylla on the win

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“We were down 0-1 after the loss against the Philippines team (Meralco Bolts), and I felt like everyone was being selfish. So Coach said the emphasis of this game was playing together, moving the ball. Obviously, this is a very good team, so we knew we had to play our best. And you know, we were last in the league, so I feel this is one of those statement games that we aren’t last in the league.”

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Next Games:

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New Taipei Kings: Away vs. Macau Black Bears (Macau SAR) - Dec. 11, 2024

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Macau Black Bears: Home vs. Ryukyu Golden Kings (B.LEAGUE) - Oct. 30, 2024