The New Taipei CTBC DEA pocketed a 22-point victory against the defending champion Kaohsiung Aquas in the opening game of the T1 LEAGUE 2022-2023 season.
The DEA overpowered the Aquas 109-87 at Xinzhuang Gymnasium to the delight of the home fans, paced by Lithuanian center Edgaras Želionis who led the team with 22 points, six rebounds, and two assists.
Želionis shot 7-9 from the floor, including 2-2 from beyond the arc, and 6-8 from the foul line.
DEA head coach Lee Yi-hua (李逸驊) said after the game that the performance was a way of showing the team’s appreciation to its fans who came to show their support.
“Our defense today, whether it was the forwards or centers, applied pressure well. It was rare to see Brickman play 35 minutes and only get two assists while making six turnovers,” Lee said, referring to Aquas point guard Jason Brickman.
The Filipino-American was named the Most Valuable Import in the T1 League’s inaugural season in 2021-2022, after leading the league with 10.3 dimes per game and helping the Aquas grab the league title.
Asked about the DEA’s defense on Brickman, Aquas head coach Brendan Joyce said the New Taipei team did the exact same thing in a preseason game two weeks ago, but he would not go into too much detail about how they tried, and evidently failed, to combat that.
“They were targeting Jason. That’s something we were aware of, he was aware of, but we just didn’t get done what we wanted to get done for him to probably be a lot freer and loose to play his game,” the three-time Olympic Australian Opals and Boomers coach said.
In Saturday’s season opener, the DEA went on a 15-0 run in the first quarter to build an early 23-7 lead and never led by less than nine as they increased their edge to 56-39 at halftime.
The DEA put the game away for good in the third quarter, maintaining at least a 20-point lead for much of the period and taking an 86-61 advantage into the final 12 minutes.
The DEA’s pressure defense and Aquas’ problems handling the ball proved too much for the defending champions to overcome. They turned the ball over 23 times, compared to only 11 for the DEA.
The Aquas’ Lithuanian center Mindaugas Kupsas led his team with 18 points, 15 rebounds and three assists.
The DEA will next face the visiting Tainan TSG GhostHawks at Xinzhuang Gymnasium on Sunday, while the Aquas will travel to the National Taiwan University of Sport on Nov. 5 to play the Taichung Suns.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel