The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots on Sunday might have grabbed their most significant win of the season in defeating the Formosa Taishin Dreamers 97-84.
The victory in Taoyuan was the Pilots’ first win in 45 days, and the tears of joy running down guard Lee Chia-kung’s cheeks were a silent testament to how tough the slump has been for the team.
“I’m very emotional because we were on a nine-game losing streak,” Lee said, thanking his family, teammates and coaches for their support.
Photo courtesy of P.League+
Lee, who registered 16 points in his season debut on March 26, racked up 11 points on Sunday, including two three-pointers in the last quarter.
Asked about the aggressive performance of players by anchor Marc Tien, Lee said that the Pilots regained some of their confidence after watching a pre-game video of their winning streak from earlier this season.
“It reminded us of how active and aggressive our game was, so we came into today’s game with a positive attitude and did our best to secure the win,” Lee said.
He also singled out Jason Washburn for maintaining his intensity throughout the slump.
The 2.13m-tall American could not hide his frustration after Saturday’s one-point loss to the league-leading New Taipei Kings, in which he racked up 38 points, before missing a potential game-winning jump shot.
Playing a team-high of 37 minutes, 15 seconds on Sunday, Washburn contributed 19 points and 17 rebounds, with five assists to record a game-high 31 plus-minus value.
Pilots head coach Iurgi Caminos thanked fans for their unwavering support over the past few weeks.
In Kaohsiung, former NBA guard Jeremy Lin continued to amaze fans with his passing skills, dishing out 10 assists in the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers’ 106-105 victory over the Taipei Fubon Braves, becoming the fastest P.League+ player to reach 100 assists in 11 games.
The Steelers have won their past four games.
The Pilots improved to 16-17, placing them third, behind the Braves. Taoyuan remain two games ahead of the fourth-placed Dreamers, who lead the Hsinchu JKO Lioneers, followed by the Steelers in last place.
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