Story by Koh Yizhe/Red Sports
Players fight for possession of the rebound. (Photo 1 © Vanessa Lim/Red Sports)
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Tuesday, January 29, 2013 – A first-half deficit proved too much to overcome for the Singapore Slingers as they went down 57-69 to the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) defending champions, Indonesia Warriors.
It was the third game in a row that the Slingers shot under 40% as they were unable to capitalise on the Warriors’ 23 turnovers. This resulted in their second defeat on the trot, following their road loss to the Thailand Slammers.
In contrast, the Warriors shot 50% from the field as they registered their third win in a row after dropping the first two.
Slingers’ centre Kyle Jeffers scored a game-high 27 points and pulled down nine rebounds while Rashad Jones-Jennings had 9 points and 17 rebounds. Wong Wei Long scored 10 points to lead the locals.
Warriors’ guard John Smith netted 14 points while teammate Christopher Daniels had a double-double of 13 points and 11 rebounds. American import Steven Thomas also made a big contributed to the visitors’ win, registering a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.
The Slingers have a history of struggling against teams with speedy guards and it was no exception in this one when they lined up against some of the best guards in the league.
The backcourt duo of Mario Wuysang and John Smith combined to build the Warriors’ lead in the first period as they pulled away from the Slingers midway through the quarter. It was not long before they accumulated a double-digit 17-7 lead which they brought into second quarter.
The Slingers made just two field goals despite making 17 attempts in the first 10 minutes, with Rashad Jones-Jennings guilty of missing his first six shots. He finally made his first shot at the start of the second quarter, but by then, the Slingers were facing a large deficit.
The Warriors continued to control the match and extended their lead to 36-25 at the end of the second quarter.
The third period saw a fight-back of sorts from the Slingers. The Warriors momentarily extended the lead to 17 points, their largest of the game, but the Slingers would reply swiftly.
Wu Qingde, making his debut, was bought on with seven minutes to go in the third quarter and thanks to his tireless effort in defence, it allowed the Slingers to go on an 8-point scoring run. He scored four points, including a basket at the buzzer to trim the lead down to 45-52 heading into the final period.
However, hopes of a massive comeback were immediately crushed as the Slingers made two successive turnovers to start the final quarter, allowing the Warriors to restore their double-digit lead. Bad shooting continued to plague the Slingers’ offence as they made just four field goals in the final period.
As a result, the visitors hung on comfortably for the 69-57 win.
Despite the scoreline, Warriors’ coach Todd Purves was modest about the victory.
“It was a hard-fought game,” analysed the American.
“The Slingers are a well coached-team and we knew we were going to have our hands full. We were lucky to come out with a victory. I don’t think it was an easy match and it never felt comfortable until the last 30 seconds or so.”
For Slingers’ head coach Neo Beng Siang, it is back to the drawing board to work on their offence.
“In the last three games, we have averaged 60 and below points,” noted Neo.
“This does not help us win games. We have a great defence, but on offence we struggled. We have to adjust a bit and keep working hard. We will keep working on our shooting drills and technique.”
The Slingers will face the Malaysia Dragons next Tuesday, February 5th, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium at 8pm.
Score by Quarters
Slingers vs Warriors
1st Q: 7-17
2nd Q: 18-19 (25-36)
3rd Q: 20-16 (45-52)
4th Q: 12-17 (57-69)
Slingers: Jeffers — 27 pts, Wei Long — 10 pts, Jones-Jennings — 9 pts, Qingde — 5pts, Dulay — 3 pts, Oh — 3 pts.
Warriors: John Smith — 14 pts, Daniels — 13 pts, Thomas — 11 pts, Canada — 10 pts, Wuysang — 7 pts, Sitepu — 7 pts, Prihantono — 3 pts, Richard Smith — 2 pts, Ristanto — 2 pts.
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