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| It was Renaldo Balkman's turn to put up huge numbers for Alab. |
By Dugout Philippines
SINGAPORE--In an atmosphere fit for a playoff game, Tanduay Alab Pilipinas showed incredible poise and maturity to pull out an 89-80 overtime win against the Singapore Slingers on Sunday at the OCBC Arena.
It all capped off when Singapore’s AJ Mandani hit a gutsy three-pointer with 12.2 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime, 78-78.
In the extra period however, Alab showed why they are a team to be reckoned with this season. They limited the Slingers to just two points, while scoring 11 of their own. Justin Brownlee opened overtime with back-to-back baskets followed by a lay-up by Renaldo Balkman.
Ray Parks finally snuffed the life out of the OCBC Arena with a daredevil drive to the hoop for an and-one play, putting Alab up nine with roughly a minute remaining.
Balkman finished the game with 26 points, eight rebounds, and was crucial on the defensive end with four steals and two blocks. Brownlee once again provided another all-around game of 17 points, seven rebounds, and eight assists. And similar to Balkman, Brownlee was also huge on defense with two thefts and two rejections.
New import Chris Charles had a double-double performance of 22 points and 11 rebounds. The all-time leader in blocks worked his magic once again as he ended up with four swats. The only sour part of his Singapore debut was his six turnovers.
Xavier Alexander had a horrid shooting performance, finishing with just 10 points on 2-for-19 shooting.
Alab was in control of the fourth period before the Slingers pushed the game into overtime. Hanbin Ng converted on a four-point play with less than two minutes remaining but Robbie Celiz would answer with his own triple to put Alab ahead by three. That set the stage for the game-tying trey by Mandani. The Slingers comeback however would fell short eventually.
Tanduay Alab are now winners of three straight games and will look to make it four in a row when they face the Slingers again on Wednesday in the Philippines.
Box Scores
Alab Pilipinas 89–Balkman 26, Brownlee 17, Parks 11, Domingo 9, Urbiztondo 8, Raymundo 8, Celiz 3, Hontiveros 3, Sumalinog 2, Maierhofer 2, Alabanza 0
Singapore 80–Charles 22, Ng 15, Mandani 13, Alexander 10, Low 10, Goh 9, Liew 1, Oh 0, Kwek 0
Quarterscores: 21-17, 36-36, 63-60, 78-78, 89-80
Follow the site on Twitter: @DugoutPH
Alab Pilipinas 89–Balkman 26, Brownlee 17, Parks 11, Domingo 9, Urbiztondo 8, Raymundo 8, Celiz 3, Hontiveros 3, Sumalinog 2, Maierhofer 2, Alabanza 0
Singapore 80–Charles 22, Ng 15, Mandani 13, Alexander 10, Low 10, Goh 9, Liew 1, Oh 0, Kwek 0
Quarterscores: 21-17, 36-36, 63-60, 78-78, 89-80
Follow the site on Twitter: @DugoutPH
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