SEA Games: Singapore basketballers clinch semi-final spot
The Singapore national basketball team clinched a spot in the SEA Games 2017 semi-finals after defeating Vietnam 80-73 at the MABA Stadium on Thursday (24 August).
Big men Delvin Goh and Russel Low led the way with game-highs of 18 points each. Low also had 10 rebounds, four of which came at the offensive end, as well as two blocks.
Point guard Wong Wei Long had just eight points, but made all four of his shots. Forward Leon Kwek contributed 12 points off the pine, while eight of the 10 players who took to the court had at least one assist.
It was an improved showing from the Singapore cagers, who shot 53 per cent from the field, compared with their game against Indonesia on Tuesday in which they shot 32 per cent overall.
Vietnam, on the other hand, were led by Nguyen Tien Duong’s 17 points.
Following a close first quarter in which the lead changed hands at five times, Singapore pulled away and were up by 16 points heading into the fourth quarter.
But Vietnam went on a 17-4 scoring run at the start of the fourth quarter to pull within three points with 5min 40sec to go, thanks to some costly turnovers from the Singapore team.
The lead would narrow down to just three points with 2:30 left in the game.
But a crucial three-pointer from guard Larry Liew with two minutes to go stretched the lead back to six. Both sides exchanged baskets, and with just 23 seconds left, Nguyen Phu Hoang missed both his shots at the foul line, allowing Singapore to take the victory.
Singapore will meet defending champions Philippines, who finished a perfect 3-0 in the group stages, in the semi-finals on Friday at the MABA Stadium.
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