Story by Lim De Jun/Red Sports. Photos by Clara Yuan and Rebekah Abbott/Red Sports
Au Jin Kai (NUS #4) goes for a layup against Thng Yong-An (ITE #5). Au scored a game-high of 22 points. (Photo 1 © Clara Yuan/Red Sports)
Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Monday, January 25, 2016 — National University of Singapore (NUS) beat Institute of Technical Education (ITE) 82-60 to make up for losing to the same opponents in the preliminary round. In addition, the win secured third placing in the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Basketball Championship.
Thng Yong An (ITE #5) had a team-high of 17 points while Au Jin Kai (NUS #4) had a game-high of 22 points.
The game started with a tip by NUS, which resulted in cheers heard from bench. As such, NUS’ team morale was really high from the start. No baskets was scored until Lim Kian Shen (ITE#13) gave a no-look pass to Herman Chan (ITE#9) for the finish.
ITE’s team morale got even higher after a contested 3-point shot made by Shiek Ridwan (#23). NUS, on the other hand, responded with 2 x 3-pointer shots made by Lester Ng (NUS#6) and Rolu Monilla Oyekanmi (NUS#9) each. Quarter 1 ended with Thng Yong An (ITE#5) cutting through 2 defenders and finishing with a layup on the right.
Quarter 2 started with good teamwork displayed by NUS. The ball movement for NUS were really good as they kept swinging the ball along the 3-pointer line for better opportunities instead of forcing shots. ITE and NUS were tied at 27 points with 3 minutes to spare before Teo Jie Ming (ITE#12) threw contact on NUS defender before finishing with a left-hand layup. The 1st half ended with a score of 35-29, with ITE taking the lead.
2nd half started with the players playing mind games with their opponents. They knew they cannot afford to lose the ball due to silly turnovers. With powerhouse Lim Sheng Yu (NUS#12) in the paint, he was able to lure his opponents to him before dishing out to teammates for an open shot. Both teams were tied once again at 37 points, with 6 mins to spare in the 3rd quarter.
As NUS managed to tie the game, their spirits got better and broke the tie with 2 consecutive fast break layups. Au Jin Kai (NUS#4) made 2 consecutive 3-pointers to further widen the gap.
The game eventually ended with a score of 60-82, whereby NUS clinched the 3rd placing.
NUS’ captain, Ng Hui Wen (#8) said,”We started really off tempo at the start despite ending it well. We got together as a team, and we did well as we got the adrenaline rush and the hyped up spirit.
“ITE had the tough run at first, but at the end, we were able to show that we were the better team.
“Throughout this whole championship, there were many up and down seasons. We lost to ITE during the preliminaries which led us to be even prepared for this game. We knew we had to play even better after the loss to SIM,” added Hui Wen.
Scoring By Quarter
SIM vs NUS
1st Q:18-15
2nd Q:17-14 (35-29)
3rd Q:11-32 (46-61)
4th Q:14-21 (60-82)
Top Scorers
ITE
Thng Yong An (#5) – 17 points (including 2 x 3-pointer)
Teo Jie Ming (#12) – 12 points
NUS
Au Jin Kai (#4) – 22 points (including 2 x 3-pointer)
Lim Sheng Yu (#12) – 12 points
Lester Ng (#6) – 11 points
ITE Roster
Sim Jun (#3), Thng Yong An (#5), Benjamin Lim (#7), Nicholas Leong (#8), Herman Chan (#9), Sum Kah Soon (#10), Poh Wei Jun (#11), Teo Jie Ming (#12), Lim Kian Shen (#13), Foo Jun Lim (#17), Fabian Low (#18), Shiek Ridwan (#23).
NUS Roster
Au Jin Kai (#4), Goh Kong Tat (#5), Lester Ng (#6), Ng Hui Wen (#8), Rolu Monilla Oyekanmi (#9), Chan Wai Hon (#10), Lee Weng Fatt, Jeremy (#11), Lim Sheng Yu (#12), Chan Ming Rong, Clement (#13), Hong Kah Qi (#18), Thomas Chua Peng Kuang (#21), Ng Yao Zhong (#30), Tan Zheng Zhi (#32).
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