Where: Tap Seac Multisports Pavilion 

When: Wednesday, March 18, 17:00 / 17:10 P.M. (On-air / Tip-off) CST

Team Records: Taoyuan Pauian Pilots (4-2, No. 2 in Group B) / Seoul SK Knights (4-2, No. 2 in Group A)

Where to Watch: Ticket Information / Broadcast Information  

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TEAM STATISTIC LEADERS 

Taoyuan Pauian Pilots

Points: Lu Chun-Hsiang — 21.5 

Rebounds: Will Artino — 10.2 

Assists: Pai Yao-Cheng — 3.8 

Steals: Lu Chun-Hsiang, Will Artino — 1.2

Blocks: Alec Brown — 2.2 

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Seoul SK Knights

Points: Jameel Warney — 26.2

Rebounds: Darryl Monroe — 12.5 (Leads all EASL Finals Players)

Assists: Darryl Monroe — 4.8 

Steals: Oh Jaehyun (1.8)

Blocks: Jameel Warney (1.0) 

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THE RUNDOWN 

It's a story of two runners-up with unfinished business.

The Taoyuan Pauian Pilots and Seoul SK Knights tip off the EASL Finals carrying the same dream and the same scar. In the EASL's inaugural 2023-24 season, Seoul SK reached the final only to fall to the B.LEAGUE's Chiba Jets. A year later, Taoyuan made the same run and suffered the same fate against Hiroshima Dragonflies. One of them gets to rewrite that story today.

The head-to-head history adds context. Seoul SK are perfect against Chinese Taipei opposition this season at 2-0, while Taoyuan have never faced a KBL side this season but are 2-0 all-time against Korean competition after sweeping Suwon KT Sonicboom last season. The winner faces No. 1 overall seed Alvark Tokyo in the semifinals.

The individual matchup is worth watching closely. Jameel Warney is the EASL's all-time leading scorer and the only player to reach 300 career points in the competition, a forward and center who moves with the fluidity of a guard and is impossible to contain in the paint. Lu Chun-Hsiang is his counterpart on the other side, a skilled and polished scoring guard averaging 21.5 points per game, the only local player in these EASL Finals leading his team in scoring, and just 13 points away from joining Warney in the 300-point club.

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THE PILOTS

Last season, the Pilots went on a Cinderella run to reach the championship game and shocked all of Asia along the way. This year, they intend to go one step further.

The key lies with Lu Chun-Hsiang. His scoring demands attention, and the space that creates allows his import counterparts to operate freely. Ex-NBA talents Alec Brown and Treveon Graham benefit directly from that, combining for 27.5 points per game and giving Taoyuan a dangerous offensive core. Graham is no stranger to production either, finishing as the second-highest scorer of the 2024-25 EASL season with 153 points, trailing only Lu. Off the bench, Li Chia-Kang and Chen Chiang-Shuang provide steady contributions, combining for 12 points per game when the starters rest.

On the defensive end, Brown is the anchor. He leads all EASL Finals players with 2.2 blocks per game, continuing a dominant run that saw him finish as the league's blocks leader in 2024-25. He is also the all-time blocks leader in EASL history and figures to draw the assignment of guarding Jameel Warney, setting up one of the more compelling individual battles of the quarterfinal.

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THE KNIGHTS 

The Knights have been built around the dominance of import forwards Jameel Warney and Darryl Monroe, and the numbers back it up. Warney leads the team with 26.2 points per game while Monroe pulls down a Finals-best 12.5 rebounds per game. What makes both even more remarkable is the minutes they carry, with both playing close to 40 a night. Monroe leads the entire EASL Finals in average minutes at 40 minutes and 49 seconds per game, an extraordinary workload made more staggering by the fact that he is 40 years old.

Beyond the duo, Seoul SK have had key contributors emerge throughout the season. Arvin Tolentino has been the standout, averaging 18 points per game and shooting above 50% from three, draining 19 threes across just six regular-season games. Elsewhere, 18-year-old rookie guard Edi Daniel has earned his minutes through defensive intensity and athleticism. At the same time, forward Lee Minseo, despite missing significant time to injury, showed his ceiling with a career-high 20 points against Hong Kong Eastern back in November.

When it comes down to it, Seoul SK's game plan runs through Warney. And rarely has he ever let them down.