Story By Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by REDintern Clara Yuan
Jacqueline (SIM #7) preventing Sheryl (RP #27) from driving past her. (Photo 1 © REDintern Clara Yuan)
NTU Sports and Recreation Centre, Tuesday, January 14, 2014 — Republic Polytechnic (RP) fended off a valiant Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) comeback in the final quarter to secure a 58–56 win in the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Basketball Championship. Janice Tan (RP #33) led all scorers with 17 points as she sank a whopping five 3-pointers to pad her points tally. Juliana Ang (SIM #5) had 13 points to lead her team.
The first period of the game was a battle of attrition with both teams matching each other basket for basket. Juliana Ang (#5) got it going early for SIM, scoring four points as well as contributing a few assists of her own. However, as the quarter came to a close, there seemed to be a lapse of concentration on both sides, leading to multiple turnovers.
RP kicked it up a gear in the second quarter, going on an 11–0 run in the period to snatch the lead. They were aided by their excellent work on the offensive boards as they secured rebounds for easy putbacks. This sent SIM into disarray and they started to take bad shots on offence, allowing RP to gradually widen the lead. Xiang Lin (SIM #4) finally managed to stop the rot, making a jumper with three minutes left in the period. However, RP held a seven-point lead heading into the break.
SIM seemed completely lost on defence in the third quarter, allowing a couple of easy looks down low for RP to capitalise on. RP on the other hand, were doing a good job, forcing ill-advised attempts from SIM, which naturally resulting in misses.
Something finally clicked in the final quarter for SIM. They switched to a full-court press which immediately paid dividends. They whittled down the lead over the quarter until Juliana (SIM #5) sunk a three-pointer to pull them to within two points with 30 seconds left. RP did not help their cause, missing six consecutive free throws, as well as turning over a crucial possesion. With two seconds left in the game, SIM found themselves with a final inbound play to try and send the game into overtime. Unfortunately, they botched the play, passing the ball into the hands of an RP player to lose the game 56–58.
RP captain, Olivia (#7) said: “We did not expect to win today’s game. The defence was good, we managed to stop their #5 (Juliana Ang) from scoring much. We managed to score crucial points down the stretch when they weren’t doing well. We hope to finish in the top 4 this year.”
SIM captain, Xiang Lin (#4) said: “It was a good game overall. We weren’t fully prepared for this and our opponents were good. We will try to focus on winning the next few matches and minimising our turnovers. Our goal would be to expose our players to these kinds of matches to allow them to gain more experience.”
RP face Temasek Polytechnic (TP) on February 17, Friday at 8.30pm. SIM face the same opponents on February 21, Tuesday at 8.30pm. Both games will be played at NTU Sports and Recreation Centre.
Scoring by Quarter
SIM vs RP
1st Quarter: 15–15
2nd Quarter: 9–16 (24–31)
3rd Quarter: 9–13 (33–44)
4th Quarter: 23–14 (56–58)
Top Scorers
Singapore Institute of Management
Ang Wei Theng Juliana (#5) – 13 points (1 x 3-pointer)
Republic Polytechnic
Janice Tan Qian Ni (#33) – 17 points (5 x 3-pointers)
SIM Roster
Evelyn Lew Yi Ling (#1), Loh Yu Hong (#3), Lee Xiang Lin (#4), Ang Wei Theng Juliana (#5). Jacqueline Tan (#7), Jesse Lee Ya Wen (#8), Jiang Hui Shi (#10), Lee Xin Yu (#11), Chia Biru (#18), Liu Xiayu (#21), Pham Hoang Lan (#24), Tan Si Hua Crystal (#32), Kwek Lay Yin Geraldine (#56), Chong Hui Pin (#72), Zoey Chua (#96)
RP Roster
Yeap Sian Yee Kimberly (#4), Olivia Lee Jia Min (#7), Gao Min (#8), Ang Pei Xuan (#9), Nurdhia Bte Senim (#10), Samantha Chiam Pei Wen (#11), Tan Shu Xuan (#13), Vanessa Yam (#14), Yew Dan Ni (#17), Yvonne Toh Shu Yuan (#19), Tok Hui Min (#21), Denis Kristin V. Dagdagan (#24), Sheryl Tang Jia Huan (#27), Janice Tan Qian Ni (#33), Ilina Gan Wee Kuan (#39)
2014 IVP Basketball Championship (Women) – Fixtures and Results
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