Singapore – Guards Desmond Oh & Wong Wei Long made key plays in the 2nd Half of Wednesday’s game against the Defending Champions Chang Thailand Slammers as they helped rally the Slingers from an 11 point halftime deficit to a 74-63 victory.
Slingers’ Louis Graham led the team with 23 points.
The Singapore Slingers hosted the Chang Thailand Slammers in their first meeting since the Slammers eliminated the Slingers from last season’s playoffs. It was also the Slingers 2nd consecutive home game after they suffered a loss at home against the Indonesia Warriors on Sunday.
American Import Louis Graham led the Slingers with 23 points and added 15 rebounds. Graham scored 10 points of his 23 in the 2nd half. DeAndre Thomas scored 27 points in a losing cause for the Slammers. Slammers Import Kenneth Walker had 15 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.
The visiting team came out running early in the game and posted a 7-0 start. After a Slingers timeout, the home team came back with an 8-0 run of their own. The quarter ended with the Slingers holding a narrow 1 point margin, 16-15. Louis Graham scored 11 points in the opening salvo.
Pedal to the metal was clearly the Slammers game plan when the 2nd quarter started. The Defending Champs from Thailand opened with a 9-0 run that allowed them to take the lead back. A couple of minutes later, they extended their lead with another 7-0 run with Thomas leading the way. He had 14 points at the half. Turnovers hurt the Slingers, who were only able to score 9 more points prior to halftime. At the break, the Chang Thailand Slammers led 36 to 25.
The Singapore Slingers came out roaring in the third quarter. With the Slammers posting their biggest lead in the game at 14, the Slingers rallied back with a 21-3 run. Donald Little and Louis Graham started the run with thunderous dunks. Guards Wong Wei Long, Desmond Oh, and Don Dulay were all pesky on defense as they ensured that the Slammers offense was in disarray. The third quarter saw Thailand held to only 11 points to Singapore’s 27. The 3rd quarter ended with the Slingers leading 52-47.
Going into the final quarter with a lead they would not relinquish, the Slingers started with a 7-0 run that saw their lead increase to 12 points. The Slammers went hard to the offensive glass though as they grabbed misses and collected 7 offensive rebounds in the quarter. 2nd chance points from Thailand saw Singapore’s lead trimmed down to 4 with less than 2 minutes remaining. Slingers guard Desmond Oh came to the Slingers rescue with a three pointer, then following it up with another field goal. He scored 8 of his 16 points in the 4th quarter. Wei Long’s three pointer towards the end of the game was the icing on the cake, as the Singapore Slingers finished the game with a 74-63 win over the defending ABL Champions.
A balanced offense from the Slingers saw 4 players in double figures – Graham, Desmond, Dulay, and Little, who also had 7 rebounds and 4 blocked shots to go along with his 10 points.
“This game showed a lot about our character and pride. We worked hard all week on our shots, which didn’t fall in during the previous game with the Indonesia Warriors, and our hard work paid off tonight. I look forward to our team continuing to play this way, not just for a quarter, or a half, but for the entire season, said Coach Neo Beng Siang, on his team’s first win of the season.” He added: “I am also very proud with our locals Wong Wei Long and Desmond Oh, as they showed what they can do on a nightly basis, both on offense and defense. They were both composed towards the end of the game when Thailand tried to comeback.”
Singaporean Wong Wei Long added 8 points for the Slingers.
The Singapore Slingers will travel to Vietnam on their first road game of the season as they play the newcomers Saigon Heat, bannered by NBA veteran Julius Hodge, on Wednesday, January 25. The Slingers’ next Home Game will be on January 29, Sunday, as they host the Bangkok Cobras. Tip off is at 4PM at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets are available through our website, www.singaporeslingers.com and through Sistic at www.sistic.com.sg.
Box Scores:
Singapore Slingers 74 – Graham 23, Desmond Oh 16, Dulay 10, Little 10, Wei Long 8, Canta 5, Sheng Yu 2
Chang Thailand Slammers 63 – Thomas 27, Walker 15, Lertmalaiporn 7, Jantuma 6, Apiromvilaichai 4, Pinitpatcharalert 2, Suttisin 2
Quarter Scores: 16-15, 25-36, 52-47, 74-63
