JASON Brickman set up the title-clinching three from Xavier Alexander as the Kaohsiung Aquas captured the inaugural T1 League championship with a 103-100 Game Three escape from the Taichung Wagor Suns Saturday at National Taiwan University of Sport Gymnasium.
Jason Brickman leads Aquas to title
It was a picture-perfect pass from the Fil-Am guard who found the do-it-all import at the left wing and calmly drained the big trey with 3.2 seconds to spare.
Kaohsiung, though, still had to defend a late three from Anthony Tucker to lock the win up at the buzzer.
It completed the dream season for Brickman's Aquas, which topped the eliminations with a 23-7 win-loss record and took the first two games of the best-of-five series, 101-99 in Game One and 112-82 in Game Two.
Brickman flirted with a triple-double in the closer with 23 points from 5-of-9 clip from deep, to go with nine rebounds, nine assists, and two steals.
Mindaugas Kupsas tallied a double-double of 22 points, 11 boards, three dimes, and two blocks, Alexander had 13 points and six rebounds, and Wu Yi-bin scored 12 in the conquest.
Hu Long-mao was adjudged as the Finals MVP after pouring 14 points and four boards.
Taichung, though, gave its all in Game Three with Ting Sheng-ju escaping for the game-tying layup that made it a 100-all deadlock with 26.5 seconds left. Yet it only served as a precursor for Brickman's connection with Alexander that pushed the visiting Kaoshiung up three.
Tucker led the Suns with 34 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks, while Nino Canaleta went for 11 points from 3-of-5 clip from distance.
Su Yi-chin also had 11 points, as Ting and Aaron Geramipoor both had 10 in the runner-up finish as Fil-Aussie guard Jordan Heading sat the game out.
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