Kaohsiung Aquas playmaker Jason Brickman set another T1 LEAGUE assist record Friday when he dished out 21 dimes in a 124-107 away victory over the Taipei-based TaiwanBeer HeroBears on the last day of the league's regular season.
The 30-year-old Filipino-American point guard's 21 assists broke his own previous mark of 19 set on March 27 in a home victory at Kaohsiung Arena against the Tainan TSG GhostHawks.
Adding to his sensational passing, Brickman also scored 17 points and fell four rebounds short of a triple-double in the victory at University of Taipei's Tianmu campus gym, improving his team's record to 23-7 as it wrapped up the league's regular season.
At the post-game press conference, Brickman said he was able to record 21 assists by reading the defense and trying to find the open man by making the right call.
"I think we played great as a team, got great chemistry, really shared the basketball, and you know [it's] just a lot of fun to play the game and finish the regular season in first place. Now, we're just trying to focus on the playoffs, hopefully we can be ready next week," Brickman said.
The Aquas' excellent performance throughout the regular season allowed them to book their slot in the playoff semifinal as the first seed as early as April 17.
Aquas head coach Brendan Joyce said the team has been preparing really hard for the playoffs.
"We try to play consistent basketball, because if we play consistent basketball then we can trust ourselves in the playoffs, and that's what we build, trust. So, we can go into the playoffs with some confidence and trust in ourselves," Joyce said.
Suns edge Leopards
Also on Friday, the Taichung Wagor Suns edged the Taoyuan Leopards 127-125 in an overtime game at Taoyuan Arena to improve their record to 20-10.
Suns guard Anthony Tucker posted a double-double of 44 points, 12 rebounds, and four assists, while Leopards forward Troy Williams recorded 37 points, 17 rebounds, and five assists.
The Suns will go into the semifinals as the second seeds, just one spot ahead of the New Taipei CTBC DEA, the third seeds with a 17-13 card.
Meanwhile, the HeroBears and the Leopards, which are ranked fourth and fifth in the regular season, respectively, will compete in a play-in series, which starts Sunday, for the last spot in the semifinals.
The semifinals start May 24.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel