Story by Nicole Lum/Red Sports. Photos by Lim Yong Teck, Clara Yuan and Matthew Lau/Red Sports
Russel Low (#15) of Singapore shoots the ball against Choo Wei Hong (#8) and Kuek Tian Yuan (#55) of Malaysia. Low led the home team with a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. (Photo 1 © Lim Yong Teck/Red Sports)
OCBC Arena, Thursday, April 30, 2015 — A poor second half saw Singapore let victory slip as Malaysia clinched a 49–58 victory in the 11th Southeast Asian Basketball Association Championship (SEABA). The lead changed hands eight times until the final quarter when Malaysia finally dominated to take the win.
Russel Low (#15), the only one who had a double-double, led Singapore with a team-high 10 points and 10 boards. Malaysia’s Ivan Yeo (#41) and Kuek Tian Yuan (#55) led Malaysia with 11 points each.
The visitors were more disciplined in their offence, converting an overall 32 percent of their field goals. Their strong defence also limited Singapore to only 16 made field goals out of 68 total attempts.
The first quarter saw a balanced effort from both teams as they took turns to add to the score. Malaysia, who displayed tight defence at the basket, forced Singapore to bank on several outside shots. By the end of the quarter, Malaysia led 12–11, including six points in the paint while holding Singapore to none.
Singapore hit back in the next quarter by amping up their offensive play. They also leveraged on their solid offensive rebounds, from which they earned four points. A layup by Wong Wei Long (#5) in the last four minutes garnered momentum for the home team, and a three-pointer sunk by Desmond Oh (#2) allowed Singapore to steal the lead at 27–23 soon after.
In the dying seconds of the second quarter, an altercation between Singapore’s Ng Hanbin (#17) and Malaysia’s Koh Way Tek (#14) saw the ejection of both players from the game. For Singapore, Ng (#17) had been a key player in the last few games of the championship.
However, the tables were turned yet again after the break, as a scoring drought in the first seven minutes rendered the Singaporeans helpless. Taking advantage of the poor Singapore defence and regaining the lead for Malaysia were Ivan Yeo (#41) and Choo Wei Hong (#8). Both Malaysians took turns to score, contributing to a six-point margin. Though the home team managed to level the score with three-pointers from Larry Liew (#11) and Oh (#2), Malaysia showed their control with a long baseline jumper by Kuek Tian Yuan (#55) just before the closing buzzer.
Despite efforts to narrow the gap in the final quarter, Singapore hit the wall and committed 11 fouls as the pressure heightened. Malaysia eventually secured the 58–49 victory, sinking six free throws in the last two minutes.
On whether Ng’s (#17) ejection had resulted in the team’s poor showing in the second half, Singapore head coach Neo Beng Siang said, “Definitely, but I think towards the end it’s not just that. They (the team) played really terribly and they didn’t follow instructions to get the ball inside rather than just relying on outside shots.”
Neo was extremely dissatisfied with the team’s performance as they had originally aimed to defeat their causeway rivals.
“I think it’s the worst performance I’ve ever seen,” he commented. “That might be due to the pressure because they wanted to show their fans that they can make it but they’d given themselves too much pressure.”
“We have to get ourselves there, and of course, it’s definitely a wake-up call. But we need to stay positive and hope that the fans will come and support us throughout. We are more concerned about coming out to play hard, and respecting every team,” said Neo, when asked about their plans for the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in June.
In the day’s earlier games, Indonesia defeated Laos 83–46, while reigning SEA Games champions Philippines powered past Brunei 140–29.
This result is Singapore’s first loss in the 11th SEABA Championship. Their final game on May 1, which will pit them against Philippines at 8 p.m. at the OCBC Arena, will ultimately determine their spot on the podium. With a 3–1 win-loss record, the home team currently stands in joint second place with Malaysia, behind Philippines, the only team without a loss.
Score by Quarter
Singapore vs Malaysia
1st quarter: 11–12
2nd quarter: 16–11 (27–23)
3rd quarter: 9–16 (36–39)
4th quarter: 13–19 (49–58)
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)
Malaysia Roster
Tong Wen Keong (#0), Liaw Chee Huei (#1), Choo Wei Hong (#8), Choong Yuen Yew, Vincent (#11), Kwaan Yoong Jing (#13), Koh Way Tek (#14), Teo Kok Hou (#17), Ma Chee Kheun (#20), Soo Eng Heng (#23), Ivan Yeo (#41), Kuek Tian Yuan (#55), Ng Sing Tee (#88)
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