Story and photos by Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports
Lester Ng (NUS #6) with the tough drive for two. (Photo 1 © Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports)
TP Sports Complex, Monday, June 19, 2017 — National University of Singapore (NUS) got into a rhythm in the second half to secure a 55-53 road win over Temasek Polytechnic (TP) 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 of the season 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.
Zhai Si Ming (TP #19) hit a floater to start off the game, but Lim Dao Han (NUS #24) quickly answered with a basket of his own. Despite that, NUS got off to a slow start and could not find their mark.
On the other hand, TP were handling the ball well, making the extra pass to the open shooter for the open jumpers. Jordan Lee (TP #23) knocked down two consecutive three-point shots as TP went on an 8-0 run to establish an eight-point lead. TP were up 16-8 after the first half.
In the second quarter, NUS increased their defensive tenacity to try to contain TP. While TP were able to score on a few possessions, NUS were able to answer with shots of their own. Both sides scored nine points in the second quarter as TP led 25-17 at the half.
Going into the third, Lester Ng (NUS #6) exploded offensively. He found his rhythm and knocked down a three to start. Lester (NUS #6) scored the first nine points in the third quarter for NUS to cut the TP lead down to two. NUS capitalized on the momentum to continue the good work offensively. Defensively, they played tighter defense to prevent easy baskets from TP. NUS were able to get a six-point lead at the end of the third.
Lester Ng (NUS #6) continued his stellar performance into the fourth. His hustle plays and tenacity brought up the overall team morale and NUS were able to capitalize on that to maintain their lead.
Despite that, TP continued to work away at the NUS lead. They continued to hustle and capitalized on their offensive chances to try to bridge the gap. However, whenever TP scored, NUS had an answer.
With less than five seconds left, Muhammad Naqib (TP #99) hit a pull-up three to cut the NUS lead down to two with three seconds left. Despite that, NUS were able to get the ball in and run the clock down to win the game 55-53.
Team manager and player, Raymond Loo (NUS #10), commented, “I think our shots weren’t falling today. However, it’s a lot of defensive effort. Defense is something we can control and it banks on how much effort we put in. Offense is not something we can control. So we put in extra effort on defense to get all the extra rebounds and loose balls and these helped us get a few transition baskets and it showed in the end.”
“TP is a very aggressive team, they are quite an outside perimeter shooting team and we recognized that. We pressed higher to stop their shooters but they have a good mix of different players but today our experience showed. TP had younger players and we were able to react in game to counter. But, TP gave us a tough fight and it was a good match with them.”
Scoring by Quarter
NUS vs TP
1st Q: 08-16
2nd Q: 09-09 (17-25)
3rd Q: 21-07 (38-32)
4th Q: 17-21 (55-53)
Top Scorers
NUS
Lester Ng Jia Wei (#6) – 18 pts
Lim Dao Han (#24) – 10 pts
TP
Christian Pepito (#94) – 13 pts
Jordan Lee (#23) – 11 pts
NUS Roster
Terry Tan Soon Lee (#1), Gideon Wong Songkai (#2), Devin Nethanael (#3), Han Jun Seo Kevin (#5), Lester Ng Jia Wei (#6), Chan Wai Hon (#7), Ng Zao Hong (#8), Zhuang Baokun (#9), Raymond Loo Jian Wei (#10), John Zhang Jiong Yang (#11), Dillon Low Chun Kiat (#13), Leong Kai Yuan (#15), Ong Sze Chuan (#18), Lim Dao Han (#24), Wayne Tan Wei Herng (#68), Mohd Danish Han Bin Mohd Illias Han (#99), Rolu Monilla Dyekanmi, Aston Quek Xin Wei
TP Roster
Yi Rong (#2), Darius Ong (#3), Sherman Seet (#5), Darren Choo (#6), Malcolm Wong (#7), Chaw Ji Keong (#8), Muhammad Shukri (#9), George Varghese (#10), Eugene (#12), Keane Liew (#15), Ikhide Akhibe (#16), Terry Lua (#17), Zhai Si Ming (#19), Jordan Lee (#23), Toh Jing Jie (#32), Lincoln Sim (#92), Christian Pepito (#94), Clement Sim (#95), Muhammad Naqib (#99)
NYSI Basketball League – fixtures and results
More photos next page
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