Temasek Poly edge out Republic Poly to top Group B in men’s IVP basketball

By Koh Yizhe/Red Sports

Nanyang Technological University, Wednesday, January 13, 2010 – Temasek Polytechnic almost suffered an upset at the hands of Republic Polytechnic, but eventually came out top, edging their opponents out 81-80 to cement their place in the semi-final of the men’s Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Basketball Championship.

Temasek Polytechnic had beaten Republic Polytechnic in previous matches by wide margins and were expected to claim the victory easily. However, RP gave a good account of themselves as they hounded last season’s first runners-up till the last seconds.

RP took an early lead through Samuel Goh before TP took control of the match. Initially, RP were able to keep within striking distance, but poor ball handling allowed TP to score a couple of fast-break points to extend the lead.

However, RP were still very much in contention, thanks to accurate three-pointers from their guards as captain Shi Yang landed a three-pointer in the closing moments of the first quarter, narrowing TP’s lead to 10 points (13-23).

TP brought their good work into the opening minutes of the second as they began to stretch their lead. One might have thought that TP would run away with the match as poor rebounding from RP gave their opponents easy baskets.

Despite having many chances to extend their lead in the second quarter, TP failed to capitalise on all of them. This gave RP hope as they went on an 11-0 run. Led by Seah Bao Hui's nine points in the quarter, RP reduced the deficit and made TP pay for those wasted chances.

Nevertheless, a good work at the start of the quarter paid off for TP as they stretched their lead to 16 points at the end of the second quarter at 48-32.

With nothing to lose, RP came out more determined in the third quarter, firmly believing they had a shot at the match. They controlled their play better by stepping up the defensive pressure on TP, forcing them to make plenty of errors. A pair of free throws from Kenneth Ong, his only points of the match, brought RP to within three at 54-57.

Not a team to go down easily, TP clawed their way back to a 65-57 lead, going on an 8-2 run to end the third.

In the final quarter, TP continued the momentum from the third quarter and sprinted to a 75-64 lead. Last year's first runners-up never trailed from that point on as they held on to their lead.

RP did mount a comeback however, giving TP a scare. With 4:51 minutes on the clock, Kenneth Ong denied Tan Hong Kwang with a monstrous block to spark the comeback. Thanks to Ng Shi Yang's accurate three-pointers, RP reduced the lead to just six points (73-79) with 1:52 minutes remaining.

Lin Cheng Yu made a pair of free throws to maintain TP's lead at 81-75 with a little over a minute to play, but Seah Bao Hui made a layup to keep RP within striking distance. With time winding down, Ben Lim hit a three-pointer, but it was too little too late as TP held on for a 81-80 victory.

"We definitely did not expect to lose by only one point today. In previous matches, we lost by 20 plus points," reflected RP's Law Wei Song, who scored 12 points. "I think it was our defense in the second half that made the difference. We also told ourselves that although we lost previously, it doesn't has to be the same today."

"It was a close game and both teams tried their best," commented TP captain, Tan Hong Kwang. "We made it difficult for ourselves, and although we won, we are a bit disappointed by the result. We expected to win by 10 to 15 points."

With the victory, TP qualify for the semi-final as winners of Group B and will face Nanyang Technological University in a repeat of last year's final.