The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots on Sunday fell short in their bid for a first East Asia Super League (EASL) title after a 90-81 loss to Japan’s Utsunomiya Brex in Macau.
The defeat marked the second straight year the defending P.League+ champions missed out on the EASL crown, but they remain the first team to reach back-to-back championship games in the league’s three-year history.
The outcome was largely decided by long-range shooting. The Pilots struggled from beyond the arc, hitting just five of 20 attempts, while the Brex converted 19 three-pointers, shooting 46.3 percent from long range. Seven of the eight Brex players who saw action hit at least one three-pointer.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Brex set the tone early, hitting 10 of 14 three-point attempts in the opening quarter to build a commanding 39-13 lead and the Pilots never managed to close the gap.
Although the Pilots outperformed the Brex in two-point field goals, rebounds and assists, and committed fewer turnovers over the remaining three quarters, the deficit proved too large to overcome.
“They caused us some trouble from the tip-off,” said Pilots forward Lu Chun-hsiang, who scored 15 points, but missed seven of eight three-point attempts.
Lu compared the loss to last year’s final, when the Pilots fell to another B.League team, the Hiroshima Dragonflies.
“[The Dragonflies and the Brex] have a similar style, but they gave us a very different challenge and forced us to adjust a lot,” he said.
Four Pilots players scored in double figures, led by Treveon Graham’s game-high 23 points, while the Brex had five players score at least 10 points, with D.J. Newbill leading the way with 21.
Brex guard Makoto Hiejima, who scored 19 points on 66.7 percent shooting with three rebounds and three assists, was named EASL Finals Most Valuable Player.
“It’s great that we can prove everything we’ve been doing is right,” the 35-year-old said via a translator. “There was a lot of pressure, but we showed we still lead in Asia and we would like to keep doing that.”
Pilots head coach Iurgi Caminos said the team would aim for another shot at the Brex later this season.
“Let’s keep fighting and meet these [Brex] guys in the EASL Champions Week final and beat them,” Caminos said.
“I have no doubt that a champion is a team that keeps coming back even after losing,” the Spaniard said. “I will do this first. I won’t stop fighting to help you reach the top.”
With the win, the Brex received US$1.5 million in prize money, while the Pilots took home US$750,000. The Ryukyu Golden Kings, who beat Alvark Tokyo 77-76 in the third-placed game, earned US$350,000.
The EASL featured 12 clubs from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Macau, Hong Kong and Mongolia.
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