Temasek Poly beat Singapore Poly to win IVP basketball title

By Les Tan/Red Sports

NTU, Thursday, January 21, 2010 – Temasek Polytechnic (TP) saw off the challenge of Singapore Polytechnic (SP) with a comfortable 83-60 victory to win the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Basketball Championship title.

Ng Hanbin (TP #7) had a standout performance for his team with a game-high 30 points, including five three-pointers.

“The team stepped up for each other. We played well,” said Hanbin. “We didn’t expect to beat them by such a large margin after winning only by seven points against them in the group stages.”

The game threatened to be over as a spectacle from the tip off when TP went on an 11-2 run in the first five minutes, but SP regrouped and tied it up at 14-14 with an Edwin Low three-pointer. SP matched TP in all areas and took a 23-19 lead at the end of the first quarter.

SP however could not maintain their scoring form in the second and TP put a bit more light between them to take a 39-34 lead into half-time.

It all started to come apart for SP in the third quarter. It did not take too long for TP to establish a 10-point early in the third and by the half-way mark of the quarter, TP were leading 49-37.

SP were struggling with their open jumpers and uncontested layups and it was no surprise that TP took a 20-point (66-44) lead into the fourth.

The fourth was a no contest, with the SP bench players given a chance to experience a final, the first in the school’s history.

“The team played beyond expectations to get into the final,” said SP coach Ong Yao Kwang. “We weren’t even expected to get into the semi-finals! The boys were nervous before the final because they don’t have final experience. TP are a stronger side. We lost to them by seven points before but they weren’t going all out then.”

Quarter by Quarter Scores
SP vs TP
1st Q: 23-19
2nd Q: 11-20
3rd Q: 10-25
4th Q: 16-19

Top Scorers
Temasek Poly
Ng Hanbin (#7) – 30 points (5 x 3-pointers)
Richard Neo (#2) – 18 points (2 x 3-pointers)

Singapore Poly
Edwin Low (#1) – 21 points (2 x 3-pointers)

For more pictures from both games, please go to the PICTURE GALLERY.