Basile’s 37 points power Aquas to opening victory

Grant Basile on Saturday scored 37 points, including a team-high 10 in the fourth quarter, to lead the Kaohsiung Aquas past the Taipei Taishin Mars 132-121 in their Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) home opener.

Basile shot 13-for-20 from the field, including six of 12 from three-point range, and added 13 rebounds, three assists and two blocks at Kaohsiung Arena. He has exceeded 30 points in all three games this season, following performances of 36 and 31 points.

Kaohsiung’s transition attack generated 41 fast-break points to Taipei’s seven, while the hosts also outscored the Mars 60-46 in the paint.

The Kaohsiung Aquas’ Grant Basile dribbles during their Taiwan Professional Basketball League game against the Taipei Taishin Mars in Kaohsiung on Saturday.

Photo courtesy of the TPBL

“Our coach wants us to play fast, with less half-court offense, more end-to-end basketball and intense pressure,” Aquas wing Su Wen-ju said afterward.

The team’s imports were highly mobile and sometimes outran their smaller teammates, Su added, crediting that mobility for Kaohsiung’s entertaining style early in the season.

Kaohsiung’s other imports also contributed, with Rosco Allen recording 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds, while Gabriel Galvanini added 23 points and 11 rebounds.

The Aquas led 73-59 at halftime before a Basile layup about one minute into the third quarter extended their advantage to a game-high 18 points at 77-59. Taipei responded with a 33-15 run to enter the final period tied at 92-92.

The Mars briefly moved ahead in the fourth, but Basile helped restore Kaohsiung’s lead, scoring 10 points on four-for-six shooting, including two three-pointers. The Aquas outscored Taipei 40-29 in the quarter to secure victory.

Adam Hinton, whom the Aquas selected first overall in this year’s TPBL draft, finished with 11 points and three rebounds in 27 minutes and 44 seconds.

He opened the scoring seven seconds after tipoff, driving from beyond the right-side three-point line for a dunk through contact and converting the free throw. Two fourth-quarter free throws completed his scoring.

Hinton scored five points in 10 minutes and 50 seconds in his previous outing, when Kaohsiung was outscored by 24 points during his minutes.

Meanwhile, Benson Lin led Taipei with 26 points, seven assists, five steals and four rebounds.

Kaohsiung improved to 2-1 after finishing last in the seven-team league at 9-27 last season.