Toyama could not overcome Ryukyu to close out their 2021-22 B.League series, falling 69-80, Sunday at Okinawa Arena.
The Grouses could not sustain a strong start, giving up 22 points in the second frame while only putting up 10 points. Dwayne Evans outscored Toyama all by his lonesome as he scored 11 of his 22 points during that span.
Evans ended up with seven rebounds and three steals as well.
The Golden Kings’ surge continued in the third canto, going up by 19 points, 65-46, courtesy of a Harito Namizato trey.
It was too little, too late for Toyama as Bryce Johnson and Julian Mavunga only got their groove during the last 10 minutes of the game.
Ryukyu went up to a league-best 13-3 while Toyama fell to 4-12.
Jack Cooley added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Golden Kings while Keita Imamura and Ryuchi Kishimoto got 10 points each.
Mavunga and Johnson led the way for Toyama with 19 and 18 points, respectively. The former also dished out seven assists against five turnovers while the latter grabbed 15 rebounds.
Dwight Ramos had 14 points on 4-of-14 shooting with four turnovers.
Toyama looks to bounce back next weekend when it faces Kiefer Ravena and Shiga at Ukaruchan Arena.
