By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports. Photos by Vanessa Lim, Tan Jon Han and Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports
An unmarked Donald Singleton (#21) slam dunks for two easy points. Singleton’s 23-point effort made him the game’s top scorer but even that failed to prevent the 53-63 loss to the Indonesian Warriors. (Photo 1 © Tan Jon Han/Red Sports)
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Tuesday, May 14, 2013 – The Singapore Slingers failed to make the playoffs for the second straight year after they went down 53–63 to the Indonesia Warriors in the ASEAN Basketball League.
The fifth-placed Slingers had a couple of chances to secure a playoff berth down the last stretch of the season, but after losing three of their last four matches, including a 64–39 thrashing in Indonesia just four days ago, their last match at home was a must-win one.
They started well and kept the game close, but misses from the charity stripe and the loss of their league-leading rebounder Rashad Jones-Jennings to an injury just before half time resulted in the defeat.
The Slingers made just four of their 20 attempts from the free-throw line and were outrebounded 25-50 as they ended the year with a 7–15 win-loss record.
“We started pretty well, but there were a couple of defensive mistakes that cost us the match,” analysed Slingers head coach Neo Beng Siang.
“Jones-Jennings could hardly jump after straining his leg. Delvin (Goh) got more court time as a result but we got dominated in the paint after that. Our free throws made a difference also. If we made 70 percent of them, that is 10 more points on the board for us,” added Neo.
American Rashaad Singleton played his best match in a Slingers jersey as he scored a game-high 23 points to go with eight rebounds and five blocks. Phillip Morrison added 17 points and four assists, but no other Slinger managed to stand out.
In contrast, the Warriors had four players scoring in double figures. Chris Daniels had a team-high 15 points and 21 boards while Steven Thomas also had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds. The back-court duo of Stanley Pringle and Jerick Canada added 12 points.
The Slingers had a flying start, snatching an early 13-6 lead with Wong Wei Long’s three-pointer capping off a 7–0 run. However, the visitors replied in emphatic fashion, as they went on a 9-0 run of their own to make sure they held a 15-13 lead after 10 minutes.
Canada and Pringle proved more than a handful for the Slingers’ guards as they hounded their hosts in defence resulting in a couple of turnovers early in the second quarter. Six minutes into the period, the Warriors had a big 32–17 lead and it looked like they would cruise to victory.
Morrison responded for the Slingers with a couple of points to trim the deficit, but the turning point of the match came with 43 seconds left in the half. Jones-Jennings stretched his knee as he landed and although he tried to return in the third quarter, he was unable to do so.
He finished with two points and five rebounds.
Without their top rebounder, the Slingers were bossed around in the paint and on the boards. However, they were still able to make a run in the third quarter where they cut the Warriors’ lead down to just three points at 36–39 after Morrison’s jumper with 4:20 remaining in the third quarter.
The Warriors responded and made sure any chance of a comeback were snuffed out in the final period when Canada’s trey with 3:41 to go restored the Warriors’ 10-point lead at 59–49. There was no stopping them from there as they comfortably held on for their 16th win of the season.
Head coach Todd Purves was pleased that his team managed to end the season on a winning note.
“We knew they would fight us the whole way and I am happy we managed to pull it (the win) off in the end,” said the American.
“We expected a very tough game and we knew Slingers had a lot to play for. As a competitor, it is tough to see Jones-Jennings go down and that made it harder for Singapore. I have great respect for this organisation and it is disappointing that they are unable to make the playoff. Nevertheless, it is our job to come here and take care of business which we did,” added Purves.
Score by Quarter
Slingers vs Warriors
1st Q: 13–15
2nd Q: 13–18 (26–33)
3rd Q: 13–14 (39–47)
4th Q: 14–16 (53–63)
Slingers: Singleton – 23, Morrison – 17, Wong – 3, Cabatu – 4, Lim – 2, Jones-Jennings – 2, Folkoff – 2.
Warriors: Daniels – 15, Pringle – 12, Canada – 12, Thomas – 12, Wuysang – 4, Sitepu – 3, Smith – 3, De Juijter – 2.
2013 Singapore Slingers fixture schedule and results
More photos next page
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