By Jericho Ilagan | SingaporeSlingers.com
Singapore – When the Indonesia Warriors found out that Stanley Pringle will be out for 8 to 12 weeks due to a meniscus injury, they signed John Smith as a replacement prior to the start of the season. In the Warriors first meeting with the Slingers in the 2013 ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) season, Smith proved that the team made the right decision as he led them to a victory over the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 69-57. Smith had 14 points, American Imports Chris Daniels had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Steven Thomas had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
It was a woeful night offensively for the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers as they only made 22 of their 68 shots for a 32% field goal percentage. Things were not any better from the free throw line for the home team as they shot a dismal 48% from the free throw line, making just 10 of their 21 shots.
Kyle Jeffers was the lone bright spot for the Slingers as he led all scorers with 27 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. Wong Wei Long had 10 points after missing the last game against Thailand. Rashad Jones-Jennings again struggle to find his offensive touch scoring just 9 pts but he pulled down 17 rebounds to lead all players.
The Defending Champions Indonesia Warriors got off to a quick start as John Smith opened the scoring chores with back to back baskets. While the Warriors were able to find their groove offensively, the Slingers struggled to make a field goal. The first quarter ended with the Indonesia Warriors leading over the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 17-7.
The second quarter was not much different as the Slingers weren’t able to buy a basket. In the first half, the Slingers shot 26% from the field. The Slingers didn’t capitalize on the Warriors mistake as the visiting team committed 12 turnovers in the opening half. At halftime, the Warriors still held the lead over the Slingers 36-25.
Kyle Jeffers tried to will his team to victory as he scored 9 of his game-high 27 points in the 3rd quarter that saw the Slingers cut the Warriors lead down to 7 points, 52-45. Rookie Qingde Wu made an impression in his first appearance in the 2013 ASEAN Basketball League as he harassed his defensive assignments. He capped it off by a tip-in at the buzzer that ended the 3rd quarter and finished the game with 5 points, an assist and one steal.
The Indonesia Warriors sealed the game at the start of the 4th quarter as they went on a 9-0 scoring run capitalizing on some Slingers poor passing mistakes.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers try to bounce back from their back to back losses when they face off with the Westports Malaysia Dragons on Tuesday, February 5th, 2013 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Match starts at 8PM.
Box Scores:
JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 57 – Jeffers 27, Wei Long 10, Jones-Jennings 9, Qingde 5, Desmond 3, Dulay 3, Cabatu 0, Damien 0, Han Bin 0, Sheng Yu 0, Delvin 0
Indonesia Warriors 69 – J. Smith 14, Daniels 13, Thomas 11, Canada 10, Wuysang 7, Sitepu 7, Prihantono 3, R. Smith 2, Ristanto 2, Indrajaya 0
Quarter Scores: 7-17, 25-36, 45-52, 57-69.
