Kaohsiung Aquas playmaker Jason Brickman set another T1 LEAGUE assist record Sunday when he dished out 19 dimes in a 103-93 home victory over the Tainan TSG GhostHawks, keeping his team atop the league's standings.
The 30-year-old Filipino-American point guard's 19 assists broke his own previous mark of 16 set on Feb. 26 against the TaiwanBeer HeroBears in Taipei.
Adding to his sensational ball handling, Brickman also scored 16 points and fell four rebounds short of a triple-double in the victory at Kaohsiung Arena that improved his team's record to 17-6, putting it 2 1/2 games ahead of the 14-8 Taichung Wagor Suns.
After the game, Brickman said he felt the team's chemistry has improved, and was hoping it would peak for the playoffs.
"I think our chemistry is a lot better from the beginning of the season until now," Brickman said. "I think just learning how each other plays and where we want to get the ball, understanding where Kupsas likes it."
The Aquas' 2.17-meter center Mindaugas Kupsas of Lithuania led all scorers with 27 points and added 12 rebounds and four assists, while GhostHawks power forward Lester Prosper had 26 points, eight rebounds, and three assists.
Prosper, a 2.09-meter Dominica-born naturalized Indonesian, was playing in only his second game for the 4-17 GhostHawks and said he wanted to do more after seeing limited action in his debut a day earlier.
"The first game, I was trying to get into the flow of things and I just wanted to feel out what everybody does. Obviously, I didn't get many minutes the first game, so coming out the second game, I just wanted to be super aggressive," he said.
The 33-year-old Prosper represented Indonesia at the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers in 2021.
On Saturday, the Aquas suffered a rare defeat, losing 99-92 to the HeroBears at home.
The HeroBears are currently in fourth place in the T1 LEAGUE, 4 1/2 games behind the Aquas with a 12-10 record.
The Suns had a big win Saturday night in a battle for the league's second spot, topping the New Taipei CTBC DEA 116-97 in Taichung.
The game saw the debut of 35-year-old Filipino-American point guard Avery Scharer for the 13-9 DEA. He finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
The Suns claimed their third consecutive victory a day later by outhustling the 5-15 Taoyuan Leopards 98-93 at National Taiwan University of Sport Gymnasium on Sunday.
Suns guard Anthony Tucker drained 33 points and also had six rebounds and six assists.
New Taipei Kings pull even with Braves atop P. LEAGUE+: The New Taipei Kings powered past the Taoyuan Pilots 111-104 in the P. LEAGUE+ on Sunday for their fourth consecutive win to pull into a tie for the league lead with the Taipei Fubon Braves.
The Kings defeated the Braves 107-99 just a day earlier.
Also in the P. LEAGUE+, hosts Kaohsiung Steelers fell to the Hsinchu Jko Lioneers 107-96 on Sunday but upset the Formosa Taishin Dreamers on Saturday.
The Dreamers are currently third in the standings with a 10-7 record, while the Lioneers are fourth at 10-9. The Steelers are last at 5-15.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel