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.
For some, Cristiano Ronaldo remains the essential spearhead for Portugal’s FIFA World Cup bid, while others believe his presence would prevent Roberto Martinez’s strong side from flourishing. The debate around the five-time Ballon d’Or winner rages on, as it did at UEFA Euro 2024 and four years ago in Qatar — yet Ronaldo endures, ready to play in a record sixth World Cup. The 41-year-old remains a global superstar despite swapping the European elite for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Nassr, and is the leading men’s international goalscorer with 143 strikes. With 25 of those coming in 30 games under Martinez, the coach
Taiwanese tennis star Hsieh Su-wei on Wednesday advanced to the second round of the mixed doubles at the French Open, after she and German partner Mark Wallner defeated Slovenian Andreja Klepac and Briton Lloyd Glasspool in straight sets, despite temperatures exceeding 32°C in Paris, while Taiwan’s top men’s doubles player Ray Ho also reached the second round. Hsieh, who made it to the semi-finals in the mixed doubles at Roland Garros in 2024, and Wallner defeated Klepac and Glasspool 6-3, 7-5 in just more than an hour, converting three of five break points, while holding their opponents to just one conversion
FAST AND LOOSE: Despite command struggles, Ohtani has pitched his way out of trouble after falling behind in counts, which manager Roberts credited to his velocity Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday night tossed six innings of no-hit ball, gave himself an early lead with a home run and still was not satisfied with his performance. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar dropped some expletives that were picked up by the on-field mic as he struggled with his command in a 4-1 win over the Colorado Rockies. He struck out seven, walked four and gave up an earned run in the fourth inning while visibly fuming on the mound. Ohtani (5-2) earned his third consecutive victory. “Just command was off, and I just felt like I was battling the lack of
Taiwanese sprinter Chen Yi-cen on Friday won the silver medal in the women’s 400m final at the Asian U20 Athletics Championships in Hong Kong, with a time of 53.16 seconds. Chen, 15, was the youngest among the eight finalists, and her performance also met the qualifying standard of 53.50 seconds for the Nagoya Asian Games in Japan in September and October. Chen first made her mark at the National Games in Tainan in 2023, at the age of 13, winning the women’s 400m final in 55.55 seconds to become the youngest gold medalist in the history of the event. Meanwhile,
RSS