By Jericho Ilagan | SingaporeSlingers.com
Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore – The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers came out with guns a blazing as they outlasted a hard charging Saigon Heat, 91-77. With the victory, the Slingers have ended their six-game losing streak and are now 4th in the 2013 ASEAN Basketball League Standings with a 5-9 win-loss card.
Rashad Jones-Jennings broke out of his scoring slump as he led all scorers with 37 points while grabbing 12 rebounds. Wong Wei Long contributed a career-high 29 points for the Slingers in the victory.
Dior Lowhorn scored 34 points, while David Palmer contributed 22 points and 18 rebounds for the visiting Saigon Heat.
“We’ve had enough of the losing. Our team came out with one purpose tonight and that is to get a win,” said Neo Beng Siang, Head Coach of the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers.
Although happy with the start to finish lead, Coach Neo was not pleased with the way the Slingers squandered a 26-point lead in the 3rd period. “We switched off defensively when we had the big lead and players started to be selfish offensively. We built the lead playing strong team basketball and that is our strength,” he added.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers jumped off to an early lead over the Saigon Heat 15-3 with 6:06 in the first quarter. “The plan was to get the ball inside to our big men and capitalize on our match-ups against the Heat. Our guys executed and our big men converted their shots,” said JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers General Manager Michael Johnson.
Rashad Jones-Jennings was hot early on as he scored 12 points in the first quarter that saw the Slingers lead 27-15.
The Saigon Heat tried to adjust on the defensive end to contain the Slingers attack. When they tried to contain Jones-Jennings inside the paint, Singaporean Wong Wei Long lit up the scoreboard from downtown.
Wei Long hit 3 three-pointers in the 2nd quarter as he helped the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers hold an 18-point margin over the Saigon Heat at the half, 52-34.
Coach Neo was quoted, “How we played tonight is how this team is supposed to play on any given night. If our guys put their hearts out there and maintain their focus, I have no doubt we can be competitive every game.”
Rashaad Singleton was instrumental on the defensive end of the floor. Singleton filled the stat sheet with 14 points, 14 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 blocks.
More than what the box score showed, the Slingers outhustled their opponents tonight, something that was missing during the losing skid.
“We have preached this all season long to the team, if we hustle, if we dive for loose balls, and pressure our opponents, we will always have a chance to win. We did that tonight, and came out with the victory. Hopefully, we can carry this over in our next 2 games against a tough San Miguel squad,” added GM Johnson.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers will now travel to the Philippines to face the San Miguel Beermen on April 6th and 13th at the Ynares Arena in Pasig.
Box Scores:
JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers 91 – Jones-Jennings 37, Wei Long 29, Singleton 14, Morrison 5, Desmond 2, Qingde 2, Folkoff 2, Sheng Yu 0, Delvin 0, Cabatu 0.
Saigon Heat 77 – Lowhorn 34, Palmer 22, Reyes 15, Vergara 4, Tieu 2, T Trung 0, N Trung 0, Son 0, Sumalinog 0.
Quarter Scores: 27-15, 52-34, 77-54, 91-77.
