MANILA – San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas got huge lifts from its imports in the endgame showdown, as they cruised to an 86-77 victory over Singapore Slingers in the 2019-2020 ASEAN Basketball League at the Sta. Rosa Multipurpose Sports Complex in Laguna on Feb. 2.
Trailing 73-75 midway in the overtime period, Sam Deguara tied the score with an inside basket via a pass by Jason Brickman, followed by another conversion from him (Deguara) to give the Philippines a 77-75 edge.
The Slingers then committed consecutive errors that allowed Alab Pilipinas to complete the victory on free throws from Prince Williams, a basket by Nick King, and five straight points from Brickman.
The 7-foot-5 Deguara finished the match with 20 rebounds to go along with eight points, while Brickman had another all-around performance of 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
King led the way for Alab Pilipinas with 20 points and nine rebounds, while Jeremiah Gray also did wonders on offense with 10 points plus defensive contributions.
“Credit to Jason, Nick King, and
Jeremiah defensively,” said Alab Pilipinas head coach Jimmy Alapag in a
post-match interview.
Alab Pilipinas laddered up to solo second place in the standings with an 8-4
win-loss record.
Leon Kwen finished the match with 19 points built on five triples, while Marcus Elliott had 18 points, six rebounds, and five assists. The Slingers saw their two-game winning streak end and fall to a 5-6 card./PN
