BASKETBALL / Pilots score rematch victory over Black Bears, edge closer to EASL playoffs

Taipei, Jan. 5 (CNA) The Taoyuan Puaian Pilots are on the verge of qualifying for the East Asia Super League (EASL) playoffs after defeating the Macau Black Bears 95-83 on Sunday.

The Pilots are now tentatively at the top of Group B in the EASL competition, holding a 4-1 record, following their win in Sunday's game at Huaqiao University in Fujian Province, China.

In Sunday's rematch game after a contest three weeks earlier, the Pilots secured their fourth consecutive victory of the 2025-26 season. The team, the defending champions of Taiwan's P.LEAGUE+ (PLG), shot 54.3 percent from the field -- a new franchise high in the EASL -- including a dominant 30-for-44 from inside the arc.

The Pilots controlled the paint by a margin of 56-22, spearheaded by center Alec Brown. Brown, who posted game-highs of 35 points and 13 rebounds, accounted for 16 of the team's 22 points in the third quarter alone, a period in which the Black Bears briefly held a five-point lead.

After the game, Pilots head coach Iurgi Caminos said it was a tough win, as the team failed to secure rebounds and allowed the Black Bears too many uncontested shots in the first half.

He also noted that there were some struggles at the charity stripe, with the Pilots shooting just 11-of-25 (44 percent) from the free-throw line, while the Black Bears shot 14-of-19.

Meanwhile, among the five Black Bears players who scored double-digit points, Omari Peek-Green led with 25 points.

The Pilots will conclude their group stage competition with a game against Japan's Ryukyu Golden Kings in Okinawa on Feb. 4, and could clinch the top spot in the group even with a loss, as long as it is by fewer than 14 points.

The Golden Kings currently sit at 2-1, while the Philippines' Meralco Bolts are 3-2. Neither team has been eliminated from contention for the next round.

Despite the Pilots strong position, star player Lu Chun-hsiang (盧峻翔) said, the team needs to stay focused and remember its runner-up finish in the last EASL season.

"We didn't win the EASL championship last season, and we have reflected on that process," Lu said. "We'll keep working and keep working hard."

Now in its third season, the EASL is a 12-team international competition independent of domestic leagues, operating similarly to a "Champions League" for East Asian basketball.

The league features three top clubs each from Japan and Taiwan, two from South Korea, and one each from the Philippines, Hong Kong, Macau, and Mongolia. The Taiwanese teams are the top two in the PLG and the champion of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL).

The 12 teams in the EASL are vying for a US$1 million championship prize in a 42-game competition. The runners-up will earn US$500,000, while the third-place team will receive US$250,000.