Story By REDintern Jiexin Neo. Photos by Joseph Lee/Red Sports
Yew Dan Ni (RP #17) taking a shot after managing to fake Amelia (NTU #10). (Photo 1 © Joseph Lee/Red Sports)
NTU Sports and Recreation Centre, Friday, January 24, 2014 — Nanyang Technological University (NTU) led throughout the game to beat Republic Polytechnic (RP) 72–54 to secure a spot in the final of the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Basketball Championship.
Lee Jia Min (NTU #6) scored a game-high 22 points, while Ilina Gan Wee Kuan (#39) put in a team-high 14.
RP seemed to be distracted in the first quarter. This was evident in their plays, which did not flow well, and they kept losing possession of the ball. On the other hand, NTU were in good condition, with Jia Min (NTU #6) putting nine points on the score sheet and with Seow Hwee (NTU #15) holding a strong presence in the paint.
Two minutes into the second quarter, NTU were already embracing a 10-point lead, and were motivated to pull away by going up for every offensive board. This resulted in several fouls committed by the RP side. With that, NTU doubled their lead to 21 points to lead 42–21 at the end of the first half.
By the third quarter, it was obvious that Hui Min’s (RP #31) contribution was limited as she was closely guarded by Jia Min (NTU #6). However her teammate Nurdhia Bte Senim (RP #10) intimidated NTU’s defence with her strong drives nearing the end of the quarter, and she contributed four points from free throws alone.
Olivia Lee (RP #7) showed consistency throughout the game with her determination on both offensive and defensive ends, but it was not enough to stop NTU from winning comfortably.
RP captain Olivia Lee (#7) said, “It was a stressful match for us, as we knew NTU’s the powerhouse. We didn’t expect ourselves to get into the top 4s actually. But I think we did put up a good fight in the second half of the game.”
NTU captain Tsang Wei Yi (#2) said, “We recognize the fact that RP is a strong team with fast players. Our focus for the match today was transition offenses. In the finals, I think we would still focus on our defence as TP focusses a lot on team work. We’d also work on boxing out and team communication.”
Scoring by Quarter
RP vs NTU
1Q: 12–19
2Q: 9–23 (21–42)
3Q: 19–17 (40–59)
4Q: 14–13 (54–72)
Final score: 54–72
Top Scorers
RP
Ilina Gan Wee Kuan (#39) – 14 points
Sheryl Tang Jia Huan (#27) – 10 points
NTU
Lim Jia Min (#6) – 22 points
Tan Seow Hwee (#15) – 15 points
RP Roster
Yeap Sian Yee Kimberly (#4), Olivia Lee Jia Min (#7), Gao Min (#8), Ang Pei Xuan (#9), Nurdhia Bte Senim (#10), Samantha Chiam Pei Wen (#11), Tan Shu Xuan (#13), Vanessa Yam (#14), Yew Dan Ni (#17), Yvonne Toh Shu Yuan (#19), Denis Kristin V. Dagdagan (#24), Sheryl Tang Jia Huan (#27), Tok Hui Min (#31), Janice Tan Qian Ni (#33), Ilina Gan Wee Kuan (#39)
NTU Roster
Ong Xue Li (#1), Tsang Wei Yi (#2), Chua Cunfang (#3), Yip Wen Yi Merlin (#4), Khong Yuen Mun Faith Gloria (#5), Lim Jia Min (#6), He Ran (#7), Koh Pei Ying (#8), Amelia Lee Yilin (#10), Ramona Wong Wei Xuan (11), Lee Pei Jing (#12), Yoshida Yukie (#13), Anthea Chan (#14), Tan Seow Hwee (#15), Zhong Xin Jing (#16)
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