Taichung Wagor Suns’ Gilas Pilipinas standout Jordan Heading put on a show in Sunday’s 119-115 thriller against the Taoyuan Leopards, hitting eight treys to set a new record in Taiwan’s professional basketball T1 LEAGUE.
The Filipino-Australian sharpshooter posted 32 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists, including eight from beyond the arc to break the record of seven concurrently held by Taipei-based TaiwanBeer HeroBears captain Chiang Yu-an (???), Kaohsiung Aquas guard Allen Yu (???), and Tainan TSG GhostHawks import player Jordan Chatman.
The rain of three-pointers unleashed by Heading included a clutch bucket from the far-right corner at two minutes and 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and another from the top left arc with just 53 seconds left in the game to lift the Suns to a 113-106 lead over the Leopards.
The Suns managed to keep the lead to outhustle the Leopards 119-115 at the final buzzer.
At the press conference after the game, Heading credited the thrilling win to teamwork.
“At the end of the game, last minute and a half to two minutes with Sani fouling out, we really had to just dig deep and find a way to pull out the win,” Heading said.
Suns forward Sani Sakakini, who has played on the Palestine national basketball team since 2006, led all scorers with a double-double of 35 points, 20 rebounds, and six dimes, while Leopards forward Troy Williams, former NBA player and 2017 NBA D-League Slam Dunk Contest champion, led his team with 31 points and 11 rebounds.
The experience and confidence of the 33-year-old veteran, Sakakini, rubbed off on the rest of his team.
“I told him: ‘Jordan kill the game’ and he had the three points when we had the lead near the last 40 seconds,” Sakakini said.
Heading made news across the region last year when the 25-year-old guard averaged 6.5 points and 1.5 assists with the Philippines men’s national basketball team during the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers held in Clark, Pampanga in June, which included a two-game 81-78 and 82-77 sweep against historic rivals South Korea.
The 188cm Filipino-Australian combo guard went on to further delight basketball fans by posting an average of 14.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 3 assists at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Serbia in June and July.
The Suns will next matchup with the New Taipei CTBC DEA at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City on Jan. 23.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel