Story and photos by Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports
Amanda Lim (NTU #9) pushes ahead for the transition basket. (Photo 1 © Low Zheng Yu/Red Sports)
NTU The Wave, Tuesday, September 12, 2017 — Nanyang Technological University (NTU) rolled past Singapore Management University (SMU) 70-40 to win their season opener in the Singapore University Games Basketball Championship.
NTU improve to a 1-0 win-loss record and will face National University of Singapore (NUS) next.
On the other hand, SMU have a 0-1 win-loss record and will play against Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) next.
Despite being the first game of the season, NTU did not take long to get the action going. Amanda Lim (NTU #9) drove in and knocked down a jumper to start off an offensive run. NTU went 12-0 to quickly get the 12-point lead before Joey Tan (SMU #9) broke the scoring drought by getting a steal and converting on the basket.
Despite that, NTU remained hot from all corners of the floor as Au Zi Yi (NTU #18) and Woon Wei Jing (NTU #12) made two three-point shots each to build the NTU lead to 22. NTU led 32-10 at the end of the first quarter.
NTU continued their hot streak into the second as Sheryl Ng (NTU #4) knocked down a three-point shot to start the second quarter. However, Lee Si Yi (SMU #1) was not about to give up as she tried to will her team back into the game by hustling on the defensive end and scoring when she had the chance. Si Yi (SMU #1) tied for a game-high 17 points with Amanda Lim (NTU #9).
Despite Si Yi’s (SMU #1) efforts, the balanced scoring of NTU proved too much for SMU to handle. Woon Wei Jing (NTU #12) and Au Zi Yi (NTU #18) contributed 12 and 11 points respectively in addition to Amanda’s (NTU #9) game-high 17 points as 11 NTU players scored. Without a solution to the offensive prowess of NTU, the NTU lead continued to increase. NTU eventually took the game 70-40.
Captain Shermaine See (NTU #5) commented, “I think we can improve a lot more on our defense. Our defense was really really bad. Everything starts from defense, so if our defense doesn’t do well then subsequently our offense wouldn’t be as smooth as well. Our first quarter defense was quite decent but subsequently, it became bad. SMU was very aggressive and they went all out, hustling for every ball. They wanted the game more than us.”
Teammate Amanda Lim (NTU #9) added, “For our team, there’s a few of us who have been playing for a few years so in a way we were more experienced. We could handle the pace on court. But we also had new year one players coming in. They still aren’t used to playing at the university level as there is a transition from JC or Poly. There is a difference in the intensity and I guess they are still learning and we as the more experienced senior players try to help out and set the pace for them to counter SMU’s aggressiveness.”
Scoring by Quarters
NTU vs SMU
1st Q: 32-10
2nd Q: 17-11 (49-21)
3rd Q: 10-09 (59-30)
4th Q: 11-10 (70-40)
Top Scorers
NTU
Lim Zhi Yan Amanda (#9) – 17 pts
Woon Wei Jing (#12) – 12 pts
Au Zi Yi (#18) – 11 pts
SMU
Lee Si Yi (#1) – 17pts
NTU Roster
Ong Sze Ming (#2), Sheryl Ng Xue Qi (#4), See Kai Ting Shermaine (#5), Barbara Ojeda Corominas (#7), Lim Zhi Yan Amanda (#9), Lee Yilin Amelia (#10), Jeanette Kee Yanru (#11), Woon Wei Jing (#12), Chen Jingyi (#13), Lim Boon Yee (#14), Yap Winnchis (#15), Foo Yuan Ru (#16), Au Zi Yi (#18), Lee Yu Zhen (#21), Yip Xin Yi Louise (#77)
SMU Roster
Lee Si Yi (#1), Low Xuan Ming Maverlyn (#3), Tan Yan Wen, Sara (#5), Soh Jia Xuan (#6), Bella Tan Jiale (#7), Joey Tan (#9), Tan Wan Mei, Sara (#10), Lui Si Xuan (#11), Tho Shu Ting Belinda (#12), Au Li Jun (#14), Ong Jia Hui (#18), Centaine Alexandra Zuleika Perera (#23), Tan Hui Si (#27), Lim Jie En (#28), Zhu Ruijie (#33)
More photos next page
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