Filipino imports flourish in Korean Basketball League action, with Carl Tamayo and SJ Belangel scoring wins with the LG Sakers and the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus, respectively.
Carl Tamayo and the Changwon LG Sakers bested the Anyang Red Boosters, 69-60, as the former UAAP Rookie of the Year and champion tallied a double-double at the Anyang Gymnasium in the 2024-25 KBL season on Sunday.
Tamayo, who faced fellow UP Fighting Maroon Javi Gomez de Liaño with Anyang, tallied 13 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, to go along with four assists as the LG Sakers extended their win streak to five games.
The LG Sakers shifted into high gear in the fourth quarter where they led by as many as 12 points, 67-55.
Tamayo joined fellow foreign player Assem Marei, who also had a double-double of 11 markers and 12 boards. He also had six dimes.
Anyang’s Gomez de Liaño struggled against Tamayo’s LG Sakers with only one assist in his 15 minutes of play.
Changwon is now back at .500 with and even 10-10 record, good for the midfield at 5th place in the standings.
Anyang, meanwhile, dropped to 7-14.
Elsewhere, SJ Belangel was one of four Daegu KOGAS Pegasus players in double-digit scoring as they handily beat defending champion Busan KCC Egis, 97-71, also on Sunday at the Sajik Arena in Busan.
Belangel, who is set to play in his first KBL All-Star game, had 15 points built on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting clip from beyond the arc. He also had five assists.
Andrew Nicholson did the heavy lifting for Daegu with 29 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
The KOGAS are no. 3 in the standings at 12-8.