MANILA – San Miguel-Alab Pilipinas failed to regain its winning form as it bowed out in the 2019 ASEAN Basketball League with a 102-82 loss to Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions in Game 2 of the quarterfinals on Wednesday at Southorn Stadium in Wan Chai.
After starting the season strong winning one game to another, the defending champions suddenly struggled to tally victories and have dropped its last six matches en route to elimination.
Alab Pilipinas showed some sense of urgency early in the game as it build an 18-6 advantage but it was quickly erased by the Long Lions on a 16-1 blast behind O’Darien Bassett for a 22-19 edge.
Since then, the Philippine-based squad was not able to taste lead as the Long Lions posted a 56-37 halftime advantage that widened to its biggest at 76-51 in the third canto.
Bassett finished the match with 28 points, 15 assists, five rebounds, and three steals, while Marcus Elliott contributed 29 points, eight boards, and three dimes and Lee Ki had 18 points for the Long Lions.
Peter John Ramos led the way with 21 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, while Renaldo Balkman contributed 16 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists for the ousted Alab Pilipinas.
Two-time ABL Local MVP Bobby Ray Parks finished 19 points, five boards, and two assists in his final game for the Alab Pilipinas before making his move to the PBA, where he was drafted by Blackwater Elite last year./PN
