Republic Polytechnic Competition Hall, Tuesday, August 4, 2009 - Republic Polytechnic (RP) took a momentary lead at the top of the women's POL-ITE basketball standings after stifling Nayang Polytechnic (NYP) 66-50, a result which left NYP hoping for a third-placed finish at best in their final match.

RP's accuracy in front of the basket saw them eventually triumph in a match where the lead was continuously exchanged between both teams, while NYP were left to rue their inability to co-ordinate their attack and what might had been.

The opening minutes saw a physically-dominant NYP outmuscle RP to take a 12-4 lead. RP, however, produced a late surge to end the first quarter at 12 apiece, as NYP's sluggishness in releasing the ball to their shooting guards became steadily evident.

RP continued their good run of form into the second period, with NYP's Choo Jing Tong frequently called upon to smother RP's relentless advance. Despite NYP's second consecutive failure to find a shooting position before the shot clock buzzer ran out, they went a late 3-0 streak to take a 25-23 lead at the end of the first half.

By now, the match had degenerated into a slugfest, with the audience seeing action at both ends. NYP's Felicia Lee took the ball right off the fingertips of Goh Xian Li for an easy lay-up, before her teammate Lim Jia Min sank her second three-pointer in the third quarter to push RP ahead 36-31.

As NYP shots continued to go astray, RP surged ahead even further in the fourth quarter, going up 47-35 on the back of three consecutive field goals, before Jia Min intercepted the ball in dramatic fashion and ran home unopposed to take RP to 49 points.

NYP's Nur Hidayah committed a steady stream of offensive fouls, the power forward labouring to find a way past the RP defence. With time running out for NYP, RP's Jacqueline Tan fired in a shot from downtown to put RP's lead at an unassailable 60-50.

With NYP restricted to three-point attempts in the closing minutes, RP's backline easily held firm as they coasted to a 66-50 scoreline at the death.

RP coach Ng San Hong had much to criticise about her team's performance, despite their dominance in the latter stages. "Our performance was very nervous, we did not make enough shots and we committed too many turnovers." She reckoned ITE would prove very strong opposition in their final match, citing their height, physical strength and speed, but vowed to ´fight all the way'.