Singapore – The Singapore Slingers opened Season 3 of the AirAsia ASEAN Basketball League tonight with a defeat at the hands of the Indonesia Warriors 79-59. The Warriors were led by last season’s local MVP, Mario Wuysang, with 23 points. Import Louis Graham lead the Slingers in scoring with 23 points while also grabbing 23 rebounds.
The Slingers starting five of Donald Little, Vaughn Canta, Don Dulay, Desmond Oh, and Graham had a tough time getting a basket in the opening quarter. The Indonesia Warriors on the other hand started with an 8-2 run, with baskets coming from former AirAsia Philippine Patriots Import Steven Thomas, and Wuysang. It was only with 1:48 to go in the first quarter that the Home team made a FG, via a jump shot by Graham. The Warriors though had a comfortable 15-9 lead at that point. At the end of the first quarter, the Warriors led the Slingers 22-9.
“We got killed by Indonesia’s pick and rolls, and their outside shots. We knew coming in to the game that they were a good three point shooting team and we allowed them to make 3 in the first quarter alone,” said a disappointed Coach Neo.
The 2nd quarter was equally bad for Singapore, allowing Indonesia three more three-point field goals from Ricky Ricafuente, Jerick Canada, and Wuysang that sparked a 12-1 Warriors run. By halftime, the Indonesia Warriors were up by 20 points, 43-23.
At the start of the 2nd half, a free throw battle ensued as both teams took the ball to the basket hard. The Slingers tried to catch up by having a 7-0 run of their own that cut the lead to 15. Imports Donald Little and Louis Graham led the team to a comeback with Little scoring 6 of his 11 points in the quarter, with Graham pouring in 7 points of his own. The Singapore Slingers cut the margin to 15 by the end of the quarter and trailed the Warriors 43-58.
Indonesia opened the 4th quarter with an 8-0 run that ballooned their lead to 23. In a game that felt like it was played in Jakarta and seemed liked there were more Indonesian supporters than local fans, the Slingers tried to come back only to be held down by turnovers and missed key baskets. First game jitters obviously had the better of the Slingers as they were unable to trim the Warriors lead from the start.
“I am very disappointed that we came out flat tonight. We practiced well during the week and I am surprised that we didn’t execute at all on offense and struggled to get back on defense. Although we showed signs of what we are capable of on defense during the 3rd quarter when we made a small run, overall, Indonesia were able to get what they wanted offensively,” summarized General Manager Michael Johnson.
The Singapore Slingers will take the court again on Wednesday, January 19th, against the Defending Champions, Chang Thailand Slammers. Tip off is at 8PM at the Singapore Indoor Stadium. Tickets are available through our website, www.singaporeslingers.com and through Sistic at www.sistic.com.sg.
