Kaohsiung Aquas bag another win, poised to secure season’s top spot

Kaohsiung, April 16 (CNA) The Kaohsiung Aquas are just one win away from locking in the top spot in Taiwan’s T1 LEAGUE’s basketball rankings for the full season, after outhustling the Tainan TSG GhostHawks 100-81 Saturday.

With their defeat of the GhostHawks, the Aquas now have a 20-6 card and are poised to finish the season with at least 21 wins in 30 games, which will mean securing the No. 1 ranking for the league’s full season.

Even if the Taichung Wagor Suns, the second highest ranked team with a 16-9 card, go on to win their remaining five games, it will not put them within reach of the Aquas, as their 2-4 head-to-head record against the Kaohsiung team leaves them at a disadvantage.

At a postgame press conference Saturday, Aquas head coach Brendan Joyce said he was very pleased with his team’s defense play.

“We really forced them (the GhostHawks) to shoot at a low shooting percentage inside and outside, and that was the difference in the game tonight,” Joyce said.

He said he was also thrilled with the way his team closed out the final moments of the game, widening the score to a 19-point lead.

Right from the start of the game, the Aquas set the pace, and by halftime, the score was 50-37 in their favor.

Keeping a double-digit lead for most of the third quarter, the Aquas were able to put an end to a GhostHawks 10-nil counteroffensive run and sailed into the final quarter relatively unscathed at 68-56.

In a tightly contested fourth quarter, the Aquas were ahead 89-81, with three minutes remaining on the clock, and with a series of big shots they widened their lead to 100-81 by the final buzzer.

GhostHawks power forward Chuck García Jr. led the game with a double-double of 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Aquas center Mindaugas Kupsas led his team with 23 points, including 9-10 from the free-throw line.

The Aquas will play a home game against the Leopards on Sunday, gunning for a chance to lock in the top spot in the T1 LEAGUE’s full season.

“Winning tomorrow is really important because it is our last home game for the [regular] season, so you would want to finish on a positive note too and make sure you bring the fans to the playoffs,” Joyce told CNA.

Suns turnaround win against DEA:

Also on Saturday, the Suns defeated the New Taipei CTBC DEA in a dramatic 109-99 second-half turnaround win in the T1 LEAGUE.

The Suns were down 54-52 at half time but rallied to overtake the DEA 85-75 just before the end of the third quarter.

With about one minute left in the game and the Suns up 104-99, guard Anthony Tucker nailed a 2-point jumper to lift the team to a seven-point lead.

A foul by DEA center Marlon Johnson sent Suns forward Chen Ching-huan (陳靖寰) to the free throw-line to sink one of two shots.

A missed three-point attempt by DEA shooting guard Lin Ping-sheng (林秉聖) allowed the Suns to grab the defensive rebound, and guard Jordan Heading pocketed another two points less than five seconds before the final buzzer.

DEA point guard Lin Wei-han (林韋翰) gained late possession and made a final attempt from beyond the arc, but he missed, and the game ended with his team down 99-109. The DEA rank fourth in the league so far this season, with a 14-12 record.

Pilots outhustles Steelers:

Meanwhile, in Taiwan’s other professional basketball league, the P. LEAGUE+, the Taoyuan Pilots edged past the Kaohsiung Steelers 106-104 in an overtime thriller Saturday at Kaohsiung Fengshan Stadium.

Steelers forward Taylor Braun led all scorers with a double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds, while the team captain Lu Cheng-ju (呂政儒) posted 27 points.

Despite the high scoring performance by Braun and Lu, however, the Steelers dropped to last place in the six-team league rankings, with a 6-18 card. Meanwhile, the Pilots vaulted to fifth place with a 7-17 record.

Dreamers overpower Kings:

In another P. LEAGUE+ game on Saturday, the Formosa Taishin Dreamers swept the New Taipei Kings by 39 points at Xinzhuang Gymnasium.

The massive 126-87 upset broke the Kings seven-game winning streak, giving the Dreamers a 13-9 record and leaving them still in fourth place. The Kings, now carrying a 15-7 card, remained at the top of the rankings.