Singapore – With both teams coming off wins, the JobStreet.Com Singapore Slingers and the San Miguel Beermen clashed Wednesday, February 1, at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. At the end, the Slingers were victorious over the Beermen 71-63. It was the 4th straight win for the Singapore Slingers. The game, which paid tribute to Cancer Awareness, saw the Slingers, who wear White at home, wore Pink for this special night.
An inspired Don Dulay started the Slingers charge by scoring the team’s first 8 points. Dulay shot 4 of 4 from the 3 point territory and scored 16 points in the opening canto. He finished 6 of 7 from the field in the first quarter. “Prior to the game, we talked about how starting strong was important against a team like San Miguel, I had good looks and my shots went in,” said Dulay, who led the game in scoring with 23 points. The Slingers led the Beermen 24-14 at the end of the quarter.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers continued to haunt the Beermen’s offense by playing superb team defense and only allowed the visiting team to 11 points in the 2nd quarter. At the half, the Slingers in Pink led 39-25.
San Miguel pushed the tempo in the 3rd quarter and limited the Slingers scoring options. The Singapore Slingers also turned the ball over 5 times in the quarter. The Beermen pounded the ball inside with their three big men Fajardo, Johnson, and Thomas, that led to Louis Graham committing his 4th foul. Graham finished with another double-double with his 16 points and 10 rebounds. The Beermen were able to cut the Slingers lead down to 6 at the end of the 3rd, 54-48.
Guard Wong Wei Long was again instrumental off the bench. He scored all of his 11 points in the 2nd half. “This was a big win for us. A great win,” said Wei Long.
Defense was the focus of the Slingers going into the 4th Quarter. “We knew that it was important that we continue to stop San Miguel’s inside scoring. Their shots from the outside also weren’t going in because our Guards covered their man well. We also prepared the team on how to guard San Miguel’s offensive sets and it paid off,” said Coach Neo Beng Siang. The Beermen shot 35% for the game, and 13% from the three point line.
Donald Little had another monstrous game by grabbing 17 rebounds to go with his 10 points.
With the win, the JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers now sit atop the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League Standings with a 4-1 win-loss record.
The JobStreet.com Singapore Slingers will look to extend their winning streak as they travel to Thailand to play the Chang Thailand Slammers on Sunday, February 5.
The Slingers next home game will be against the AirAsia Philippine Patriots on February 12th at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tip Off is at 4PM. Tickets are available through SISTIC at www.sistic.com.sg
