Rayvonte Rice scored 35 points for the Taichung Suns against the TaiwanBeer HeroBears in the T1 LEAGUE on Monday, but it wasn’t enough as the Suns were defeated 97-91 by the visitors.
Rice, who made his T1 LEAGUE debut against the HeroBears on Feb. 11, startled the Taipei-based team with many steals and key shots on route to a 46-point night and a 95-90 Suns triumph.
Despite Rice’s 35 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and four steals in the teams’ most recent meeting on Monday, Taichung was unable to replicate its past success.
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Rice stated after the game, which was played at the National Taiwan University of Sport Gymnasium, that the Suns would not give up and will concentrate on their remaining games.
“We just need to perform better as a team overall. Some shots were falling for me tonight, but we need other people to step up as well, whether they’re locals or imports “Rice explained.
Suns head coach Chris Gavina stated that if his team played with the appropriate mindset, such as urgency, they could beat the league’s top teams.
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“Even when you’re losing, you have to keep that sense of confidence,” Gavina remarked.
The setback dropped the Suns to 6-12, keeping them in fifth place in the T1 LEAGUE, eight games behind the 14-4 New Taipei CTBC DEA, while the HeroBears improved to 9-10 and remained in fourth.
The HeroBears built a seven-point lead at halftime, 52-45, but the Suns regained control early in the third quarter and were ready to capture control of the game with a 16-0 run that gave them a 61-55 lead with little over 6 minutes to go.
But, just as fast as the Suns seized control, they fell, being outscored 22-6 the rest of the quarter and never getting closer than seven points in the next 12 minutes until the dying seconds of the game.
