Kyle Jeffers had a monster game and finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
Senayan, Jakarta – Kyle Jeffers and the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers capitalized on the absence of an inside presence for Laskar Dreya South Sumatra as they notched another victory, 84-61. Jeffers was notorious in the shaded area as he finished with 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 blocks.
The visiting Slingers also received big contributions from their bench with Desmond Oh scoring 16 points and Wu Qingde adding 10 points. Russel Low missed a chance to record his first double-double as he finished with 8 points and 13 rebounds for the Slingers who hold a win-loss record of 3-2.
Desmond Oh provided the much-needed spark off the bench.
Missing the services of their world import Hassan Adams, the Slingers tried to grab control of the game from the opening tip. They quickly jumped to a double-digit lead, 16-6, after Qinge made a jump shot from the corner with 4:39 left in the first quarter. The Slingers were able to expand their lead at the end of first quarter after both Delvin and Qingde scored easily in the paint to give the Slingers a 23-8 lead.
Laskar Dreya fought hard in the second quarter as Falando Jones started a 13-2 run after a hard drive to the basket for a layup. Jones scored 9 straight points during that stretch. Mei Joni capped off the run with a long jumper that immediately saw Laskar Dreya cut the lead to 5 points with 4:40 left before halftime. However, the Slingers’ stingy defense held the home team to only three points after that surge. The Slingers then went on a 6-0 run to close the second quarter to grab a 39-25 lead at halftime.
The Slingers looked to further extend their lead coming out of the midway break. Wong Wei Long and Russel made 7 quick points to open the quarter to help the Slingers expand their lead to 19 points. Halfway through the third quarter, Laskar Dreya found themselves down 23 points after Desmond came off the bench to score 8 straight points.
Han Bin extended the defense of Laskar Dreya as he continued to showcase his outside shooting.
Although the Slingers held a comfortable 18 point margin heading into the final quarter, the Slingers still executed their game plan. Jeffers made back-to-back baskets and Wei Long sank a three-point shot to provide the Slingers with their biggest lead of the night, 76-46, with 8 minutes left in the game. The Slingers had 19 assists as a team and they also outrebounded Laskar Dreya 55-40.
Jones had a big night for the South Sumatra side with 20 points and 17 rebounds. Mei Joni finished with 9 points while Toni Sugiharto added 8 points for Laskar Dreya who played without Paul Crosby.
Steady Al Vergara finished with 7 assists against Laskar Dreya.
Laskar Dreya will play again on Friday August 8 when they play their cross-town rival Indonesia Warriors at Britama Arena, Jakarta. Meanwhile, the Slingers will host the Warriors at OCBC Arena, Singapore, on Sunday August 10.
Box Scores:
Laskar Dreya South Sumatra 61 – Jones 20, Joni 9, Sugiharto 8, Junaedi 6, Wilopo 5, Januar 4, Sabara 4, Uneputty 2, Susanto 2, Suhandy 1, Anggara 0.
JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 84 – Jeffers 24, Desmond 16, Qingde 10, Russel 8, Wei Long 8, Ng 6, Vergara 5, Goh 4, Larry 3, Rodriguez 0.
Quarter Scores: 8-23, 25-39, 44-64, 61-84.
