Story and photos by Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports
Kristerbel Pang (NUS #29) drives in for the tough basket. (Photo 1 © Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports)
TP Sports Complex, Monday, June 19, 2017 — National University of Singapore (NUS) made use of their size advantage to cruise past Temasek Polytechnic (TP) 52-40 in the National Youth Sports Institute (NYSI) Basketball League.
With this win, NUS improve to a 1-1 win-loss record. They lost to Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) previously and will play their next game against Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).
On the other hand, this is TP’s second loss and they drop to a 1-2 win-loss record. They defeated NYP previously but lost to SIM. TP will play against Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) next.
Syirin Binte Hashim (TP #19) knocked down a three-point shot to start, giving TP the three-point lead. However, NUS were quick to answer. Kristerbel Pang (NUS #19) made a tough basket in traffic followed by two more baskets from Leah Warden (NUS #13) to go on a 6-0 run.
Both sides were relentless in their scoring as they traded baskets, but it was NUS who had the upper-hand with their size and height advantage. They outscored TP 13-10 at the end of the first quarter.
NUS continued to make use of their size and height advantage. They knew they had the upper-hand in the paint area and continued to play to their strengths by driving in for the baskets. This worked out well as they increased their lead to eight at the half.
TP focused a lot on their perimeter shooting but could not knock down their shots despite several open looks. While TP tried to get into the paint area for layups, NUS were able to clamp down on the driving lanes to prevent the easy basket. With the lack of an offensive force from TP to bridge the gap, NUS steadily increased their lead and took the game 52-40.
NUS captain, Leah Warden (NUS #13), commented, “I think we were a bit too jittery, we played as if we were losing and I don’t think that’s the way we should have played. But, we managed to maintain our lead and that’s the best part for today.
“We haven’t been training for a long time, we have only trained for about a month plus. There are definitely things we have to improve on, like our set plays and our defence.
“I think we had a lot of problems defending, like when they were screening and then we had to switch or deciding whether to switch or not. And that resulted in them getting a few points.
“Their three-pointers and their drives were because we couldn’t match up. We had miscommunication and we missed out on a few plays like when they run the backdoor.
On their loss to SIM, Leah added, “I hope we can meet SIM again for a rematch.”
Scoring by Quarter
NUS vs TP
1st Q: 13-10
2nd Q: 15-10 (28-20)
3rd Q: 13-09 (41-29)
4th Q: 11-11 (52-40)
Top Scorers
NUS
Leah Warden (#13) – 14 pts
Kristerbel Pang (#29) – 12 pts
Michelle Chew (#21) – 11 pts
TP
Joanne Lim Jing Jing (#8) – 13 pts
Syirin Binte Hashim (#19) – 9 pts
NUS Roster
Tan Jia Qi (#5), Valerie Chua (#6), Lee Xin Ru (#7), Charlene Sia (#8), Edna Lim (#9), Ong Jia Le (#10), Leah Warden (#13), Brenda Thng (#19), Michelle Chew (#21), Yvonne See (#25), Kristerbel Pang (#29), Chok Xin Yan (#79)
TP Roster
Jacqueline Chu Jiajia (#1), Mah Li Jing (#2), Doreen Goh Hui Fung (#4), Clarice Tan Yi Lin (#5), Bella Chong (#6), Tan Qinrui (#7), Joanne Lim Jing Jing (#8), Oon Hui Shan (#9), Ginny Kuak Yan Li (#10), Crystal Yeow Jia Jing (#12), Shirley Long Ying Jie (#13), Ong Xin Hui (#14), Foo Qi En (#15), Monica Lim Si Hui (#17), Syirin Binte Hashim (#19), Joyce Lim Li Ping (#42)
NYSI Basketball League – fixtures and results
More photos next page
Leave A Comment