Slingers let down by poor shooting against champs Alab
Last Friday, the Singapore Slingers drew level against Hong Kong Eastern in the last second, before eventually losing 92-89 in double overtime at the OCBC Arena.
| ALAB PILIPINAS | SINGAPORE SLINGERS |
| 77 | 71 |
Neo Beng Siang's men came close to forcing overtime again last night against Asean Basketball League (ABL) defending champions and leaders Alab Pilipinas at the Caloocan Sports Complex in Manila, but ran out of steam to lose 77-71.
The Slingers ended the year with an unwanted two-game losing run, while the hosts extended their winning streak to four games to cement their lead at the top of the 10-team league.
Alab were in control the entire match, with the Slingers leading for a total of 90 seconds in the first quarter.
The Slingers had trouble finding space under the basket, with Alab's twin towers of PJ Ramos (2.20m) and Renaldo Balkman (2.03m) the pillars in defence.
Forward Xavier Alexander - who led with 25 points against Eastern - had 10 points against Alab,though he contributed 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
Centre John Fields filled the gap with a game-leading 35 points, while forward Jerran Young chipped in with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
While the hosts were 10 for 11 in free throws, the Slingers converted half of their 22 shots from the line, with Alexander scoring just one of his seven attempts.
They will get a week's break before resuming training on Dec 30 for their away tie against Formosa Dreamers on Jan 6. - LIM SAY HENG
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