KL, Sunday, November 28, 2010 — Defending champions Philippine Patriots were torn apart 96-81 by the red-hot KL Dragons in round nine of the ASEAN Basketball League.
The Patriots have now lost back-to-back matches for the first time in their history. Their previous defeat came in a one-point loss to the Thailand Slammers last week. They lie in second spot with a 6-3 win-loss record while the Thailand Slammers are first on the table after their 69–57 victory over Satria Muda on Saturday.
After losing the first three games of the season, the KL Dragons have now won five of their last six matches since the introduction of Nakiea Miller and Alex Hartman to the roster. They now have a 5-4 win-loss record and are fourth on the table.
Despite scoring a game-high 31 points, Patriots’ new import Rasheim Wright was not able to help his side overcome the Dragons’ trio of Miller, Hartman and Patrick Cabahug, with Dragons never trailing in the game. They combined for 67 points, scoring 24, 23 and 20 respectively. Miller, in particular, had a monstrous game as he controlled the paint by getting his opposite number Donald Little into foul trouble. On top of that, he pulled down 19 rebounds and had five blocks.
KL Dragons were just too hot to handle for the Patriots from the tip off as they rained threes on the visitors, accumulating a 24-13 lead by the end of the first quarter. Backed by the home crowd, the home side converted the Patriots’ careless turnovers into points. Dragons’ ASEAN import Patrick Cabahug was on fire in the first half, scoring 19 points, including four three pointers with the KL team shooting 44% from three-point land in the first half.
In contrast, the Patriots failed to score a three-pointer in nine attempts in the first two quarters. Wright finally got the Patriots going from downtown towards the end of the second quarter before ending the first half with 15 points. By then, however, the Dragons already had a 45-31 lead. Donald Little, Patriots’ 6 foot 10″ centre, collected three fouls in the first two periods, but only managed seven points on two of seven shooting.
Much of the same followed in the third quarter, with Miller and Hartman taking over the scoring responsibility. Frustration got the better of the Patriots on a couple of occasions and things got really heated when Allan Salangsang looked to have pulled back Miller with a bad foul. The situation got even worse when a spectator threw a bottle which found the head of Patriots’ Warren Ybanez. The shooting guard needed treatment and did not return till the final quarter.
However, the incident failed to change the direction of the game as the Dragons continued to dominate. Although Wright managed to get a couple of baskets, the home side still held the lead at 71-49 heading into the final quarter.
With a comfortable lead, the KL Dragons were on cruise control in the last period. They extended their lead to as many as 26 points at 83-57 and although a couple of threes from the Patriots narrowed the lead at the end, the Dragons closed out the match for their fifth victory of the season.
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