By Les Tan/Red Sports

sea games

Lim Shengyu (Singapore #12) drives to the basket against Malaysia at the Britama Arena, Jakarta. Shengyu scored 16 points and had seven rebounds. (Photo 1 by Chris McGrath/Getty Images for SSC)

Jakarta, Monday, November 14, 2011 — Singapore fell 59-67 to Malaysia in their opening game of the South-east Asian (SEA) Games basketball tournament. The score was 31-31 at half time.

Wong Wei Long (#5) hit a team-high 17 points with Lim Shengyu (#12) contributing 16 and Pathman Matialakan (#15) 11. Pathman also grabbed nine rebounds while Shengyu had seven and Steven Khoo, six.

While our boys did well from the free throw line, sinking 12 of 17 (71%), they struggled from 3-point range, hitting only 3 of 21 (14%) while they shot 22 of 60 (37%) from the field.

Singapore trailed by as many as eight points in the first quarter before reducing the deficit to two at 17-19 at the end of the first with Pathman contributing 7 of those first quarter points.

Singapore kept it close in the second and did not trail by more than six points. Lim Shengyu (#12, 4 points) and veteran Koh Meng Koon (#10, 4 points) combined for eight of their 14 second quarter points that ensured Singapore went into the half time break level at 31-31.

In the third quarter, Singapore found Malaysia pulling away and they trailed by 10 (37-47) with 4:14 left on the third quarter clock. A Loh Shee Fai (#11) 3-pointer gave Malaysia a 13-point lead (37-50) before Shengyu replied with one of his own to make it 40-50.

Singapore went on a 7-0 scoring streak in the last 2:48 of the third to cut the deficit to three by the end of the quarter to 47-50, with Wei Long accounting for six of those seven.

At the start of the fourth quarter, Wei Long missed a two-pointer and Shengyu a three-pointer. Before our boys knew it, they were facing a nine-point deficit (47-53) from two 3-point bombs by Guganeswaran (Malaysia #10) with 8:45 still on the clock.

Shengyu stepped up with two free throws and one two-pointer to make it a five-point game (51-56) but yet again, Guganewswaran replied with a 3-pointer to make it comfortble for Malaysia again at 51-59.

With 5:47 to go, Chee Li Wei (Malaysia #15) made it a nine-point game again at 52-61. Singapore were struggling to score, their four points since the start of the fourth a poor comparison with Malaysia’s 11.

Our boys could not reduce the deficit and in the final 4:13 of the fourth, went 1-of-3 from two-point range, and 1-of-5 from 3-point range.

With 2:02 to go, our boys trailed by 12 points (54-66) and Malaysia closed out the game for an eight-point win.

In Group A, Thailand beat Vietnam 85-64 after leading 50-22 at half time. The other Group A game saw the Philippines beat Cambodia 127-68. The Filipinos led 61-39 at half time.

In another Group B game, Indonesia beat Myanmar 84-45.

Quarter by Quarter Scores
Singapore vs Malaysia
1st Q: 17-19
2nd Q: 14-12
3rd Q: 16-19
4th Q: 12-17

Top Scorers
Singapore
Wong Wei Long (#5) — 17 points
Lim Shengyu (#12) — 16
Pathman S/o Matialakan (#15) — 11

Malaysia
Guganeswaran S Batumalai (#10) — 18 points
Satyaseelan Kuppusamy (#9) — 16
Kwaan Yoong Jing (#14) — 8

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