Singapore Slingers cling on to victory to lead 2-1 in ABL Finals
The Singapore Slingers silenced the boisterous GOR CLS Kertajaya crowd to emerge with a 63-60 win over hosts CLS Knights Indonesia in Game 3 of the Asean Basketball League (ABL) Finals last night.
The hard-fought victory in Surabaya gave the Singapore side a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series and ended the Indonesian's side six-game unbeaten run in the play-offs on home ground.
A tightly contested first quarter saw the home side take a slender 17-16 lead, but the Slingers turned things around on their return to the court.
The Knights clawed back to reduce the deficit but the Singaporean side clung on to their lead to go into the break 28-27.
In the third quarter, Douglas Herring, who had been quiet for most of the night, sunk back-to-back three-pointers to flip the game and give the hosts the lead, but the Slingers fought back to level the score 47-47.
Both teams refused to give in, ensuing in a nail-biting final quarter. The Slingers clung on to a narrow lead for most of the last quarter, but the game looked like it could tip either way.
In the end, Jerran Young's two successful free-throws were enough to see the Slingers through.
Despite a hamstring injury, Young was the Slingers' top scorer last night- along with John Fields - with 16 points each.
The Slingers will clinch their first ABL title if they win Game 4 at the same venue on Saturday.
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