SINGAPORE – It was indeed redemption time for the Singapore Slingers as they pounded the visiting Westports Malaysia Dragons to the ground with a blowout victory, 101-47, much to the delight of the fans at the OCBC Arena.
The Slingers started off in dominant fashion with a 15-0 run as the Dragons’ lopsided defense allowed them to sink open jumpers from anywhere. Xavier Alexander sank two straight treys followed by one from Ng Han Bin. Delvin Goh muscled his way through the towering defenders with an and-one play as the crowd roared its approval.
ABL veteran Desmond Oh also poured in back-to-back three-point bombs to end the opening frame. Their scoring surge continued in the second quarter while the opposing team struggled to find their rhythm. While the Dragons relied on a few turnovers by the Slingers to create their shots, the latter couldn’t seem to be stopped on the offensive side. At the half, Singapore was up ahead comfortably, 54-23.
The start of the second half saw the Slingers’ unselfish ball movement and relentless defense as they continue to dominate in the paint. Larry Liew joined the three-point barrage and drilled two from rainbow country while forward Russel Low showcased his footwork underneath the basket and chipped in 12 points.
Chris Eversley carried the load for Westports with his 17 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Replacement guard Shaun Bruce had a poor 3/16 shooting night in his ABL debut.
The epic battle was capped off on a record-breaking note as Lavin Raj scored the 54th point difference with two minutes to spare in the final frame, making the Slingers’ win the largest margin of victory in ABL history.
The Singapore Slingers will look to keep up their momentum as they once again try to defend their home against the undefeated Macau Black Bears on November 30 at 8:00 PM (GMT +8).
SCORES:
Singapore Slingers – Fields (25), Alexander (17), Young (17), Low (12), Oh (6), Liew (6), Goh (5), Ng (3,) Tay (3), Lim (3), Raj (2)
Westports Malaysia Dragons – Eversley (17), Egwu (12), Wong (7), Bruce (7), Tan (2), Heng (2)
