Slingers’ Don Dulay Defends Saigon Heat’s John Smith. Photo by Jason Ong.
Another double-double game from Louis Graham was not enough as the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers continued its’ losing skid as they fell to the Saigon Heat 67-72 Wednesday night. Graham led the Slingers with 19 points and 18 rebounds. Donald Little added 15 points, while Don Dulay had 11 points. Saigon Heat’s recent import acquisition Jahmar Thorpe led all scorers with 24 points. Fellow import Jonathan Jones helped the Heat’s cause by scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The Slingers have now lost a franchise record 5 consecutive games.
“We didn’t play with a lot of energy tonight. The player’s focus was just not there. We’re in a tough situation but we need to stick together as a team. These losses are character building. It is up to the players how they want to rise to the occassion and ensure we get a victory in the next game,” said Coach Neo Being Siang.
Slingers’ Import Louis Graham guarding Heat Jamal Thorpe. Photo by Jason Ong.
Turnovers continue to haunt the Slingers. The Slingers had the chance to tie the game with 19 seconds left, but Vaughn Canta lost the ball on the sidelines. The home team committed 15 turnovers for the game. In the 5 straight losses, the Slingers have averaged 16.4 turnovers per game.
After being down 58-51 at the start of the 4th quarter, the Slingers climbed back by posting an 8-0 run. Midway through the final quarter, the Slingers led 59-58. The Heat fought back though and established a lead that they would never relinquish. Louis Graham would tie the game at 67 all with 1:35 to play. The Slingers would fail to capitalize on it though as a missed lay in by Donald Little, plus a foul by Wong Wei Long on John Smith would give the Heat the go ahead basket.
Wong Wei Long, who started for the 3rd consecutive game, continued to struggle offensively as well. Wei Long finished with 8 points on 2/9 field goal shooting. The ‘Singaporean Sensation’ previously averaged 9.29 points a game coming off the bench, but now has averaged 4.33 while in the starting line-up.
Louis Graham soars for the dunk. Photo by Jason Ong.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers will now go on a 3 game road trip, as they play the Bangkok Cobras in Thailand, the San Miguel Beermen in the Philippines, and the Defending Champs Chang Thailand Slammers in Thailand. They will be back home to host the AirAsia Philippine Patriots on March 25, Sunday.
Box Scores:
Saigon Heat 72 – Thorpe 24, Jones 14, Smith 12, Javier 8, Sanz 7, Trieu 4, D. Nguyen 3, Pham 0.
JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 67 – Graham 19, Little 15, Dulay 11, Wei Long 8, Desmond 6, Canta 4, Sheng Yu 4, Steven 0, Han Bin 0.
Quarter Scores: 15-16, 32-35, 58-51, 72-67.
