By REDintern Emmanuel Phua
Sharlene Huang (SMU #12) drives past two NUS defenders. Sharlene finished with a game-high 16 points. (Photo 1 © Joseph Lee/Red Sports)
National University of Singapore Multi-Purpose Sports Hall 5, Tuesday, September 18, 2012 — The National University of Singapore (NUS) beat the Singapore Management University (SMU) 52-41 in the opening fixture of the 2012 Singapore University Games (SUniG) women’s basketball competition.
The third quarter proved the pivotal difference in the game for NUS as they outscored SMU 12-2 to set themselves up for victory in the game. The deeper NUS bench made a difference in the game, with 11 NUS players registering points.
Sharlene Huang (#12) of SMU had a game-high 16 points while Shuhadah (#14) had a team-high 12 points for NUS.
NUS set the pace in the first quarter, with Shuhadah (#14) scoring six points to lead her team in scoring. A 3-pointer each from Chee Shi Ya (#20) and Jasmin Toh (#21) ensured NUS closed out the first quarter leading by eight points (18-10).
In the second quarter, both teams did not manage to score for almost three minutes and the game only started to heat up when Jasmin Toh (NUS #21) and Xue Han (NUS #3) combined to score two consecutive 3-pointers to extend NUS’ lead to 26-15.
However, Sharlene Huang (SMU #12) scored four straight points and a tough shot by Cindy Chan (SMU #10) reduced the deficit to five points. SMU went on to outscore NUS 15-14 in the second quarter but NUS still led by seven (32-25) heading into the half-time break.
The third quarter saw NUS go on a 10-0 run to leave SMU behind. An early counter-attack by NUS gave Deanna Ng (#10) an easy layup opportunity which she duly converted. Shuhadah (NUS #14) then comes off the bench to score four straight points while Deanna Ng (#10) scored another layup after running up the length of the whole court.
Another fast break saw Carena Loy (NUS #11) with a handoff to Deanna Ng (#10) for her to score another layup to complete the 10-0 run.
With a minute remaining, SMU finally scores its first two points of the quarter and by then, they were staring at a deficit of 17-point, 27-44 deficit.
To their credit, SMU did not give up in the fourth quarter, going on an 8-0 run of their own, with Cindy Chan (SMU #10) hitting two 3-pointers despite being closely guarded by Eva Seah (NUS #17).
Despite getting outscored 8-14 in the final quarter, NUS managed to hang on to their lead and a layup by Tammy Wong (NUS #8) late in the game sealed a 52-41 victory.
“We remained calm although our coach was not present. Everyone in the team, even those on the bench, gave suggestions to the players and encouraged each other. Looking forward, we have to improve on our box out and rebound defense. We lost out a lot there tonight,” said Tammy Wong (#8), the NUS captain.
When asked how the team tackled the offensive threat of SMU’s Sharlene Huang (#12) in particular, Tammy added: “Box her out. That’s the only thing we can do. It was effective but there is definitely still room for improvement.”
“We didn’t cherish our chances,” said Lim Li Ying (#27) of SMU. “NUS played well and had a deep bench. They were the better team.”
Scores by Quarter
NUS vs SMU
1Q: 18-10
2Q: 14-15 (32-25)
3Q: 12-2 (44-27)
4Q: 8-14
Final score: 52-41
Scorers
NUS
Shuhadah (#14) — 12 pts
Jasmin Toh (#21) — 8 (2 x 3-pts)
Deanna Ng (#10) — 6 pts
Chee Shi Ya (#20) — 5 pts (1 x 3-pts)
Clara Chua (#29) — 4 pts
Tammy Wong (#8) — 4 pts
Ei Xue Han (#3) — 3 pts
Carena Loy (#11) — 4 pts
Law Wei Ning (#5) — 2 pts
Tai Khui Bing (#18) — 2 pts
Eva Seah (#17) — 2 pts
SMU
Sharlene Huang (#12) — 16 pts
Cindy Chan (#10) — 8 pts (2 x 3-pts)
(#14) — 7 pts (1 x 3-pts)
Lim Li Ying (#27) — 4 pts
Chuah Chia Ern (#8) — 2 pts
Lau Zi Hui (#7) — 2 pts
Valerie Loh (#13) — 2 pts
NUS Roster
Vanessa Tan (#1), Ei Xue Han (#3), Law Wei Ning (#5), Tammy Wong (#8) Ong Jia Min (#9), Deanna Ng (#10), Carena Loy (#11), Shuhadah (#14), Eva Seah (#17), Tai Khui Bing (#18), Chee Shi Ya (#20), Jasmin Toh (#21), Clara Chua (#29)
SMU Roster
Goh Wan Jing (#4), Lau Zi Hui (#7), Chuah Chia Ern (#8), Cindy Chan Xin Yi (#10), Chen Caowanqiao (#11), Sharlene Huang (#12), Valerie Loh (#13), Yael (#15), Lim Li Ying (#27)
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