Photo credit: ABL
Saigon Heat (3-0) nearly blow 20-point lead, hold on to escape past the Philippines' representative Zamboanga Valientes (1-1), 75-71 to grab their third straight win in the 2023 ABL Invitational (Leg 1) on Friday, January 6 at the OCBC Arena in Singapore.
Evan Charles Gilyard Jr and Jairus Holder scored 17 points apiece while Hassan Thomas finished with a double-double of 14 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.
Former Terrafirma import Antonio Hester paced the Valientes with a double-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. James Kwekuteye with a solid ABL debut of 12 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists while his former San Beda Red Lions teammate Kemark Cariño finished with 9 points 4 rebounds, 1 assist and a block. John Amores added 5 points on 2-of-5 shooting with 2 rebounds in 11 minutes of play.
The Valientes will try to bounce back against Filipino Jeff Viernes-mentored NS MATRIX of Malaysia on January 7, Singapore Slingers on January 8 and Cooly Bangkok Tigers on January 12.
The Scores:
SAIGON 75 – Gilyard Jr 17, Holder 17, Thomas 14, V. Nguyen 13, Combs 12, Huynh 2, Du 0, Vo 0, A. Nguyen 0.
ZAMBOANGA 71 - Hester 16, Kwekuteye 12, Cariño 9, Arthur 8, Lingganay 7, Amores 5, Smith 4, Chan 4, Cawaling 3, Berndardo 3, Cadiz 0, Belorio 0.
Quarters: 19-19, 44-32, 59-50, 75-71. [GAME STATS] | [GAME HIGHLIGHTS]
