Story by Zachary Foo/Red Sports. Photos by REDintern Rebekah Abbott
Qing Huang (RP #7) goes hard to the rim amongst a sea of NTU players. (Photo 1 © REDintern Rebekah Abbott)
NTU Sports and Recreation Centre, Friday, January 17, 2014 — Nanyang Technological University (NTU) came out 63–57 winners in a hard-fought battle against Republic Polytechnic (RP) in the Institute-Varsity-Polytechnic (IVP) Basketball Championship.
Andrew Zee (NTU #14) led all scorers with 18 points, while Toh Qing Huang (RP #7) and Lim Boon Kiat (RP #14) had 10 points apiece to lead their team. Both teams had already qualified for the semi-final prior to this match, with the winner of this match going on to face Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) on Tuesday, January 21, while the loser plays Temasek Polytechnic (TP) in the other semi-final.
NTU seemed rusty at the start of the first quarter, going scoreless on their first four possessions before Chua Kian Kok (NTU #12) put up their first points on the board. RP on the other hand, seemed fluid on offense, throwing nice passes into the post for good looks at the rim.
Throughout the first half, RP’s main source of offense came from Gary Yeo (RP #4). He did well to beat his defender in isolation and drive to the bucket each time he got the ball and he accounted for seven of his team’s points in the half.
In the second quarter, NTU’s started to shake off the rust. Koh Chee Siang (NTU #17) was the difference maker for his team, rebounding well and taking good open shots. This fuelled an NTU run to end the quarter, where they took a 29–27 lead going into the half-time break.
The third quarter started off well for RP, with Qing Huang (#7) finding Boon Kiat (#14) open down low with a nice pocket pass, resulting in an easy basket. But that all changed on the ensuing possession, as an ugly altercation resulted in triple ejections of Kian Kok (NTU #12), Poh Wei Hao (RP #1) and Gary (RP #4). RP incurred two technical fouls as well.
RP’s double ejections drew irate protests from the RP bench, as the coaches remonstrated with the referees to change their decision. However, the ruling stood and NTU were awarded bonus free throws from the two technical fouls before the match resumed.
From this point on, the match took on a different tone. NTU capitalised on RP’s wavering morale after the ejection to pull ahead to a seven-point lead at the end of the third quarter.
RP managed to find their feet in the final quarter, playing with an urgency that showed their desire to win. Ong Jun Jie (RP #11) made a strong move to the basket to score, exemplifying the grit that his team displayed throughout the quarter.
Daryl Chua (RP #2) pulled his team to within two points with over a minute left, stealing the ball and making the easy lay up on the other side. On the inbound pass, Lim Wai Sian (NTU #2) made a couple of mistakes, immediately turning the ball over to RP.
RP looked well-positioned to tie the game, but must have felt disappointed to see their open jumper clang off the rim. Wong Wei Long (NTU #1) then sealed the game at the other end with two free throws for NTU to finish with at 63–57 victory.
NTU now face Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) in the semi-final on Tuesday. RP will face Temasek Polytechnic (TP) in the other semi-final on the same day.
NTU captain, Andrew Zee (#14) said, “I think we did well containing RP today. We grabbed most of the defensive rebounds, as well as defending well on the fast breaks. The players communicated really well, which led to good defence. Our coach told us to use a half-court press and I think it was successful as many RP shots were contested. We lost focus in the fourth quarter, which allowed RP back into the game. However, it was a good performance overall.”
RP captain, Nethanel Ng (#5) said, “I think the biggest factor today was the refereeing. The game was smooth up to that point (scuffle). After that the flow of the game was disrupted, the referee kept changing calls. We fell short today because of the absence of key players. Our passes were sloppy, which led to a lot of turnovers and our shooting was off. I hope that we can improve in those areas in the next game.”
Scoring by Quarter
RP vs NTU
1st Quarter: 14–12
2nd Quarter: 13–17 (27–29)
3rd Quarter: 12–17 (39–46)
4th Quarter: 18–17 (57–63)
Top Scorers
Republic Polytechnic
Toh Qin Huang (#7) – 10 points
Lim Boon Kiat (#14) – 10 points
Nanyang Technological University
Andrew Zee (#14) – 18 points
RP Roster
Poh Wei Hao (#1), Chua Deng Yu Daryl (#2), Zhou Zhen Qiang (#3), Gary Yeo Jun Yuan (#4), Ng Huai En Nethanel (#5), Huang Haojie Joseph (#6), Toh Qing Huang (#7), Lim Bryan (#8), Toh Wee Keong (#9), Gabriel Teh Zhong En (#10), Ong Jun Jie (#11), Wu Qing De (#12), Chua Wei Jian (#13), Lim Boon Kiat (#14), Sean Lim Han Ming (#15)
NTU Roster
Wong Wei Long (#1), Lim Wai Sian (#2), Lim Yan Ming (#6), Chen Jiahong (#7), Nai Chiau Kwang (#8), Pek Jia Rong (#9), Kelvin Yeo Chee Wen (#10), Donovan Tan Cheng Ye (#11), Chua Kian Kok (#12), Zee Kin Meng Andrew (#14), Chan Li Zhong (#15), Wong Yong Kang (#16), Koh Chee Siang (#17), Kua Hiong Yong (#19), Thomson Liu Junxin (#20)
2014 IVP Basketball Championship – fixtures and results
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