By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports
Phillip Morrison (left), in action here against the Saigon Heat earlier in the season, nailed a clutch free throw in the dying seconds of the game to help the Singapore Slingers beat the Saigon Heat 63–62 in Vietnam. (Photo © Low Sze Sen/Red Sports file photo)
Vietnam, Thursday, May 02, 2013 – Phillip Morrison showed his former team what they were missing when he inspired the Singapore Slingers to a 63–62 win over the Saigon Heat in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL).
Morrison, who was released midway through the season by the Vietnamese team, poured in a team-high 20 points, including a clutch free throw with the scores tied at 62–62 and two seconds remaining in the game. He also had four assists.
The result keeps the Slingers in the playoff race as they have the same 7–12 win-loss record as the fourth-placed Thailand Slammers. For the Heat, however, their losing streak now extends to 14 matches.
After head coach Neo Beng Siang questioned some of the Slingers’ motivation following their crushing 49–74 defeat to the Slammers at home, the Slingers turned in a much better performance.
Rashad Jones-Jennings, in particular, left his all on the court and it resulted in a monstrous double-double of 17 points and 21 rebounds. He also added seven crucial steals as he dived for loose balls throughout the 40 minutes on court. Fellow American Rashaad Singleton also had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Heat point guard Jose Antonio Reyes scored a game-high 26 points to lead his team, but he made nine of his team’s 21 turnovers which proved costly as the Slingers managed to capitalize on the Heat’s mistakes. American Justin Howard had 14 points and 12 boards in his third match as a Heat player while David Palmer only had nine points despite pulling down 17 rebounds.
The match was hardly an offensive spectacle as both teams struggled to find their shot. The Slingers shot under 30 percent throughout the second and third quarter which resulted in a 43–49 deficit heading into the fourth.
In the final period, they dug themselves a hole when they allowed the Heat to extend their lead to 54–43 following Reyes’ jumper.
That was when Morrison took the game into his hands as he sparked a huge 17–0 Slingers run. He scored a layup before dishing out to Santiago Cabatu for a three-pointer which cut the deficit to six points. The Filipino-American then nailed a trey of his own to tie the match at 54–54.
His drives to the basket drew the double-team which freed up his teammates and it resulted in a 60–54 Slingers lead with two minutes left.
With the backing of the home crowd, the Saigon Heat came back strongly and managed to tie things at 62–62 but they were sloppy with their passes and had to foul Morrison after he stole the ball off Howard’s misplaced pass.
While Morrison will take the headlines, credit needs to be given to Mitchell Folkoff who had the irritating task of guarding the speedy Reyes in the fourth quarter. Reyes was toying with the fast-tiring Desmond Oh and would have certainly done more damage had Folkoff not locked him down with a tight defence in the final minutes.
The Slingers return home to prepare for the visit of the Malaysia Dragons on Sunday, a must-win game which will determine their playoff fate.
Score by Quarter
Heat vs Slingers
1st Q: 17–18
2nd Q: 17–12 (34–30)
3rd Q: 15–13 (49–43)
4th Q: 13–20 (62–63)
Slingers: Morrison – 20, Jones-Jennings – 17, Singleton – 14, Cabatu – 7, Oh – 5.
Heat: Reyes – 26, Howard – 14, Palmer – 9, Gonzalez – 7, Sumalinog – 6.
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