Slingers beat Darwin All Stars in dunk fest

Contributed by Lenny Lim

Singapore Indoor Stadium, Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - The Singapore Slingers beat the Darwin All Stars for the third time this season, winning 91-65 in front of 3,800 fans.

However, unlike the previous two times in the Brunei Invitational Cup, the Slingers did not require a buzzer-beating three-point shot to secure the win.

Coach Frank Arsego says, "I am pleased with the team's performance today, especially Darren. He really changed the complexion of the game when he got his confidence going and started hitting the three pointers. We stepped up our game in the second half and I think our fitness proved vital in the end."

Star players Darren Ng and Eric Sandrin lived up to their reputation as they contributed six points apiece while Pinoy Al Vergara dropped five as the teams traded the leaded for most of the first quarter before the Slingers finally took a slender one-point 25-24 lead in a high-scoring quarter.

The high pace first quarter must have taken a toll on both sets of players as they slowed the tempo in the second by playing a little more defensively in a low-scoring second quarter.

However, the excitement still remained the same as the lead was traded back and forth before the Slingers edged ahead once again, ending the half leading 37-35.

The break must have done something to spur star player, Darren Ng, as he came out firing eight consecutive points for the Slingers.

This spurred the action as the Darwin All Stars refused to be buried, fighting back from a 10-point deficit to end the quarter down 56-60.

Darren was the star man with the hot hand, contributing 15 points and two rebounds in the third quarter.

Keeping up the tempo, Darren started the final quarter sinking the first five points as the Slingers scored seven consecutive points to pull nine points clear.

This gave the Slingers the confidence to pull even further ahead, entertaining the crowd with a dunk fest before ending with a 91-65 victory.

Said an elated Darren Ng, who scored a game high 33 points, "I was feeling good out there tonight. The guys found me for open shots and that made my job really easy. It was a great team effort from all of us, and I could see that the fans enjoyed themselves. Hopefully, we will put on a great show for them during every game."

Leading scorers:

Singapore Slingers:
Darren Ng – 33 pts
Eric Sandrin – 16 pts

Darwin All Stars:
Brad Bridgewater – 25 pts
Jason Aucoin – 16 pts