HO CHI MINH CITY — The Singapore Slingers completed their first preseason game with a solid 79-76 win over the Saigon Heat in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The friendly match was tightly contested throughout the entire game, but the Slingers were able to finish strong in their first organized game together with a 9-0 run to seal the victory. The lead changed 19 times over the course of the game and were left in deadlock 13 times.
New acquisition Jerran Young had a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double to lead the team in both categories.
Without Russel Low, Larry Liew, and Kelvin Lim who weren’t able to make the preseason trip due to work/school commitments, Coach Neo Beng Siang was left with a limited 10-man rotation. The Slingers did get a big game from Delvin Goh, who finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds on 6/8 shooting from the field. The rising big man is expected to have a big season this year and this preseason start is encouraging of better things to come down the road.
The Slingers dominated around the rim, finishing 65.5% in the paint, and thrived in the open court. They zipped and zoomed their way to outscore the Saigon Heat in fastbreak points 19-0.
The home team Heat were led by Trevon Hughes and Kyle Barone who scored 20 and 18 points, respectively. Chris Dierker came off the bench to score 12 points and add 8 rebounds.
Saigon Heat – Trevon Hughes (20), Kyle Barone (18), Murphy Burnatowski (14), Chris Dierker (12), Justin Young (6), Corey Cilia (3), Jonathan Bermillo (3)
