ABL Roundup

AIR ASIA PHILIPPINE PATRIORS over SAIGON HEAT, 76-62
It was a very busy night for the 2012 ASEAN Basketball League as all eight teams hit the court on the same day. In the first game of the night the AirAsia Philippine Patriots hosted the Saigon Heat at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City, Philippines.

The Heat came into the game still searching for their first win but the the Patriots made it clear early in the game that they were not going to be pushovers as Anthony Johnson and Jonathan Fernandez led the team, contributing a combined 16 out of their teams first quarter.

Saigon, however, refused to go down without a fight, and the second quarter saw the team pulling themselves together both offensively and defensively. They not only outrebounded the Patriots 28 to 11 at this point, they also managed to increase their field goal percentage, scoring 21 points this quarter and keeping the Patriots down to just 14.

Both teams continued to fight hard in the final half with the Patriots starting strong until back to back baskets from Julius Hodge and Minh Trieu cut the Patriots lead back to just 7 points with just under five minutes left on the clock. Despite their best efforts, though, the Patriots were simply too much for the Heat, and the scoreboard read 76-62 for the Pinoys.

Saigons Julius Hodge continued his amazing run to finish the game as the top scorer with a double-double line of 26 points and 10 rebounds. His teammate, Jonathan Jones, also completed the game with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds. The Patriots top scorer was Anthony Johnson with 23 points, followed by Nakiea Millers 20 markers.

APP 76- Johnson 23, Miller 20, Fernandez 12, Vergara 10, Rodriguez 5, Larong 4, Arellano 2, Laure 2, Ybanez 0, Wainwright 0, Saldua 0, Raymundo 0.
SGH 62- Hodge 26, Jones 21, Smith 6, Minh 6, Sophoeun 3, Duong 0, Capati 0, Tung 0, Son 0, Tung 0.
QS: 21-9, 35-30, 57-45, 76-62.

BANGKOK COBRAS over WESTPORTS MALAYSIA DRAGONS, 73-70
The Dragons took the lead first with a 7-point gap, but a sloppy play by the Dragons resulted in a slam dunk by Michael Earl that gave the Cobras their first lead a little over two minutes remaining in the first half. This seemed to spark the Cobras confidence and, in retrospect, it was symbolic of how the game played out.

Via (AsiaBasket)

Tags: ABL