TAIPEI CITY (Chinese Taipei) - New Taipei earned a measure of payback by adding to South China Athletic's woes, 107-99, to break through in the BCL Asia-East 2026 at the University of Taipei Tianmu Gymnasium Saturday.
The Kings seized full control in the middle quarters before finishing solidly toward beating the team that spoiled their season debut through a 102-83 whipping last April 7 at the Southorn Stadium in Hong Kong, China.
With this, the TPBL representatives have earned their first win after suffering back-to-back defeats while sending their HKA1 counterparts reeling to their third successive loss - a skid that began after that big home win.
"It definitely wasn't easy coming off two big losses. But the good part is we made some changes, we made some adjustments; changed a lot defensively and we got this scrappy win," said head coach Hung Chih-Shan.
Jalen Harris starred in the victory with 34 points, 4 rebounds, and 7 assists. Jayden Gardner came through with 28 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists as the tandem formed a 1-2 combo which their foes struggled to cover.
BCL Asia veteran Jordan Tolbert chimed in 12 points and 6 rebounds, which he laced with 3 assists, a steal, and a block to submit a full line. Joe Lin added 10 points, as the quartet bannered the Kings' balanced attack.
It was these very same four that led the crew toward a 30-25 lead after the first, before Harris and Gardner headed the third-quarter breakaway which witnessed the home team lead by as many as 18 points thrice.
South China still tried to fight back during the deciding period but New Taipei had built a good enough cushion in the quarter prior which the visitors could no longer burst, only making the gap respectable instead.
"We clearly needed that win," offered Harris, whose team knocked down a total of 16 triples. "It was a good collective effort tonight ... we're just looking to carry this momentum in the next couple of games."
Despite the result, South China still have the head-to-head advantage against New Taipei owing to that big 21-point win 11 days ago, and that could be crucial down the line for - especially for Final 6 qualification.
Rodrigue Andela led SCAA with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Kyvon Davenport finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds, while Kelvin Tsang added 16 points and 8 assists in the loss, which dropped their card to 1-4.
Group B action will continue tomorrow, Sunday, April 19, when the Kings play host to reigning champions Chinggis Broncos at 17:00 local time in a match between two of last year's BCL Asia-East Final 4 competitors.
FIBA