Black Bears lose third straight game in EASL campaign

Despite starting the third match of their East Asia Super League (EASL) campaign with the upper hand, the Macau Black Bears have continued their losing streak in the basketball league, accumulating their third straight loss.

Playing in Taiwan on Sunday evening against the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, the Black Bears lost 104-86, despite holding a comfortable lead at half-time.

In the first period, the Black Bears played well and secured a 23-point lead (17-40), followed by a second period that was more balanced, during which the Pilots recovered three points (45-65).

But as the second half started, the Black Bears lost focus, also due to an improvement in the Pilots’ game, with the Taiwanese team outscoring them 29-10 in the third period.

In the fourth and final period, the story of the third period repeated itself. From a 20-point lead at half-time, the Black Bears ended up losing the match by 18 points (104-86), allowing the Pilots a 26-point comeback after having set the league’s record for most points scored in a single period during the first quarter.

Alec Brown led the Pilots with 27 points, while Lu Chun-Hsiang added 26. Center Amdy Dieng scored 13 points and grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds. The bench provided a major boost, led by Owen Chen’s 12 points, resulting in four players in double figures for the Pilots.

The game also featured several individual milestones, with Brown reaching 200 career EASL points and William Artino surpassing 100 career rebounds. For the Black Bears, captain Damian Chong Qui officially joined the 200-point club, while Sam Deguara also reached 100 career rebounds.

This is the Black Bears’ third straight loss of the 2025-2026 season, after previously losing twice to the Meralco Bolts (92-74 in mid-November and 91-93 at home earlier this month).

In the upcoming game, the Black Bears will travel to Okinawa to face the Ryukyu Golden Kings tomorrow.