LAGUNA, Philippines – San Miguel Alab Pilipinas continued to show up in the clutch as the squad eked out a 90-83 comeback win over the Singapore Slingers in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) at the Sta Rosa Sports Complex on Sunday, December 15.
After being down 10 early in the 4th quarter, 55-65, Alab World Import Khalif Wyatt suddenly went unconscious from downtown as they nailed a 69-67 lead off a 14-2 run and 3 straight Wyatt triples at the midway mark.
Although the Slingers kept their composure down the stretch and even took a 78-77 lead off a Jun Yuan Lim triple, Wyatt was just too hot to handle as he buried a go-ahead long bomb in response with 1:10 left for an 81-79 advantage.
The former US NCAA Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year then shut the door with an and-one, 84-79, at the 46-second mark as the hosts gave the visiting Slingers a rude exit.
Wyatt erupted for 28 points, 20 coming in the final frame alone.
The 7-foot-5 Sam Deguara, meanwhile, shook off rust in his Alab debut and finished with a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double with 2 blocks.
Jason Brickman added 9 markers and a game-high 11 assists as the Jimmy Alapag-coached squad rose to 2-1 for the new season.
"Always great to get that first win at home," said Alab head coach Jimmy Alapag. "Tonight was just one of those grind-out games."
"I thought we got off to a sluggish start and I wanted the pace of the game to be a little bit faster but I give credit to Singapore's defense. They really pressured and kind of extended us out."
The Scores
Alab Pilipinas 90 - Wyatt 28, Deguara 12, Heading 10, King 10, Brickman 9, Ganuelas-Rosser 9, Vigil 7, Gray 3, Domingo 2, Caracut 0.
Singapore 83 - Alexander 26, McClain 25, Goh 12, Elliot 11, Lim 6, Kwek 3, Raj 0, Oh 0.
Quarters: 12-16, 35-36, 50-59, 90-83.
– Rappler.com
