Caelan Tiongson did not miss a beat in his first professional game since 2019.
Though Tiongson dropped a monster double-double, it was not enough to lift Taoyuan past New Taipei. Taoyuan lost, 77-85, in the 2021-22 T1 season, Saturday at Hsing Chuang Gymnasium.
Tiongson had 19 points and 16 rebounds in 41 minutes of game time.
Behind Tiongson, the Leopards stormed back from a 50-64 deficit, tying things up at 71-all with 5:55 left.
Abbasi was all over the place, scoring six in an 11-4 rally to put the HeroBears up 82-75.
Free throws by Lu Ji sealed the deal to give DEA its first win in three tries.
Abbasi had 22 points, 13 rebounds, three steals, and a block for New Taipei. Lin Bingsheng added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Marlon Johnson had 13 points and 10 rebounds, as Lu Jier got 14 points. Jonah Morrison grabbed 11 rebounds, dished out eight assists, while putting up seven points.
On the other hand, Zheng Wei supported Tiongson with 15 points. Daniel Orton hauled down 28 rebounds with 12 points.
Tiongson and Taoyuan will next face TaiwanBeer tomorrow.
