Malaysia: 21st January 2018
In the first of 2 games over the next week between rivals, the Singapore Slingers and the Malaysia Dragons, the Slingers managed to grab a 94-85 victory over the Westports Malaysia Dragons on Sunday at the MABA Stadium, in Malaysia.
Xavier Alexander spearheaded the Slingers’ attack with 33 points to go along with 5 assists and 2 steals. Helping Alexander with the offensive load was Chris Charles who had a double-double performance of 25 points and 13 rebounds and Delvin Goh who finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists.
Though they were down by 8 points at halftime, the Slingers picked it up in the second half.
“Towards the end we bounced back as a team and we stuck together as a team,” Coach Neo Beng Siang said about his team’s gutsy win.
“In the second half, we played together. Defensively, rebounding was a key,” he added, also noting that their defense beyond the arc was a significant factor in their success.
The Slingers eventually took the lead by the end of the third and continued to lock down on the Dragons in the final period.
A three-pointer by Patrick Cabahug made it into a three-point game with 1:37 remaining. But from that point the Slingers showed their experience to hold off the charging Dragons. Charles squashed all hopes of a Dragons’ comeback with a strong offensive rebound and finish to make it 89-82 with 36 seconds left on the clock, sealing the win for the Slingers.
“We stuck together on defense. We followed our coaches,” said Delvin Goh. Goh who was key factor in the Slingers win finishing with season high 16 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists. “I think we have to beat everyone that’s coming our way.”
For the Dragons, Marcus Marshall poured in 22 points and 6 rebounds while Joshua Munzon fired away 15 points but was only 5-for-18 from the field.
With this result the Slingers pick their sixth win of the season and have now won 3 of their last 4 games.
This win also gets the Slingers their 5th straight win of the ongoing rivalry between the two teams, extending their lead to 17-14 in the All-Time series.
“Basically we were hungry for the win. I’m happy with that,” Neo said.
The Slingers and Dragons go at it once again on the second edition of the Causeway Rivalry on Sunday January 28 at the OCBC Arena, in Singapore.
This mini series between the Slingers and the Dragons within the season is also significant as the eventual winner of the series takes out the Straits Cup which is in it’s 3rd season. The winner of the 2 game series between the teams is crowned the Straits Cup Champions each season, the Slingers are the current cup holders. The Dragons will need to win the return match in Singapore on Sunday by 10 points or more to regain the Cup.
SINGAPORE SLINGERS vs MALAYSIA DRAGONS
OCBC ARENA
SUNDAY 28TH JANUARY 2018
TIP OFF TIME: 4:00pm
