Story by Nicole Lum/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck and Matthew Lau/Red Sports
Desmond Oh (#2) of Singapore drives against Firman Dwi Nugroho (#12) of Indonesia. Oh scored 12 points and recorded 3 steals in 17 minutes of game play. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
OCBC Arena, Wednesday, April 29, 2015 — A strong first half earned Singapore a 76–41 triumph over Indonesia in the 11th Southeast Asian Basketball (SEABA) Championship.
With this win, Singapore are guaranteed a place on the podium. They also qualify for the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship for the first time since 2001.
Wu Qingde (#7) led Singapore with 14 points, Ng Hanbin (#17) and Desmond Oh (#2) added 13 and 12 points respectively. On the other hand, Indonesia’s Pamungkas Respati Ragil (#5) contributed a game-high 15 points to his team, including three rebounds.
The home team converted 49 percent of their field goals while restricting Indonesia to just 14 out of 59 attempted field goals. Led by Oh (#2), who executed four steals in just 17 minutes of game time, Singapore also had 12 steals in total, which forced their opponents to commit 23 turnovers in the game.
This time, Singapore faced bigger-sized competitors compared to their previous under-sized opponents from Laos and Brunei. A fierce start saw a total of 15 fouls committed early in the game, with the majority coming from Indonesia who had trouble breaking through a tight defence put up by the Singaporeans. Several rebounds, steals and five three-pointers from Ng (#7) and Wong Wei Long (#5) propelled the home team to a 30–11 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Helmed by Pamungkas (#5) and Priasmoro Yanuar Dwi (#15), the visitors stepped up on their defence and offence, and managed to get through Singapore’s defence in the second quarter. Despite that, they failed to convert most of their shots at the basket, allowing Singapore opportunities through offensive rebounds and fast breaks.
However, Singapore’s stellar performance failed to last after half-time, as their shooting accuracy dropped. With five successful field goals, the team only poured in 14 points in the frame compared to 30 in the opening quarter.
Both teams were tiring out in the closing quarter. Singapore’s Leon Kwek (#10) contributed three field goals, the main bulk of the team’s 13 points scored, while Yo Sua (#11) of Indonesia pitched in five out of the team’s 12 points. The lead that Singapore had built on from the start eventually gave them their 76–41 victory.
On the team’s slightly inconsistent play, Singapore head coach Neo Beng Siang said, “Of course I’m disappointed, and with the last quarter as well. We got a big lead by half-time and I kept on encouraging them in the third quarter to keep up the intensity but we fell back a bit.”
“They (the Singaporean players) are actually not afraid; they’re nervous and they want to perform. When we got ourselves through, nobody really organised the offence. That’s basically my fault because there was no point guard in the court,” explained Neo, when asked about Indonesia’s pressurizing defence later in the game.
With a place in the top 3, the home team’s win lands them a spot in the upcoming FIBA Asia Championship. “Yes, we are through. Basically we met our first goal, so we are aiming for our target which is to take down Malaysia tomorrow and maybe Philippines on Friday,” Neo concluded.
In the day’s earlier games, Brunei recorded their first victory, defeating Laos 75–62. Defending Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champions Philippines powered over Malaysia 104–42, matching Singapore’s feat of three consecutive wins so far.
Singapore will face causeway rivals Malaysia in their next game, which will be held at the OCBC Arena on April 30 at 8 p.m.
Score by Quarter
Singapore vs Indonesia
1st quarter: 30–11
2nd quarter: 19–11 (49–22)
3rd quarter: 14–7 (63–29)
4th quarter: 13–12 (76–41)
Singapore Roster
Oh Wei Jie Desmond (#2), Wong Wei Long (#5), Wu Qingde (#7), Toh Qing Huang (#8), Kwek Wei Meng Leon (#10), Liew Hua Sen Larry (#11), Khaw Yeong Wooi (#13), Low Wenqiang, Russel (#15), Ng Hanbin (#17), Lim Hong Da, Kelvin (#22), Goh Kok Chiang Delvin (#23), Tan Chin Hong (#83)
Indonesia Roster
Purnomo Restu Dwy (#4), Pamungkas Respati Ragil (#5), Gunawan Luthfianes (#6), Pradithya R. Azzaryan (#7), Aziz Muhamad Sandy Ibrahim (#8), Oei Laurentius Steven (#9), Kokodiputra Juan Laurent (#10), Sua Yo (#11), Nugroho Firman Dwi (#12), Abraham Hans (#13), Wardana Muhamad Nur Aziz (#14), Priasmoro Yanuar Dwi (#15)
More photos next page
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