Overtime heartbreak for Brunei in Vietnam

THE national basketball team were denied a spot on the podium after they fell 62-66 to hosts Soc Trang in overtime in the Vietnam Basketball Federation National Cup at Bach Dang Square in Soc Trang City, Vietnam, on Wednesday.

Muhd Zainul Ashyraf Hj Hussin notched up a double-double for the national cagers with 18 points and 15 rebounds. The centre also racked up four blocks and four assists to his name.

Choo Yung Jian added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists while Yap Chun Ping chipped in 11 points in the loss, giving the Brunei side a 1-3 win-loss record that placed them fourth overall in the five-team competition.

Five players hit double figures for Soc Trang with Dam Huy Dai leading the way with 17 points and Lac Chi Nghi adding 13 points. Vo Van My, Ng Van Ngoan and Tran Vu Linh each poured in 10 points in the victory.

The home team started out the more energetic of the two teams, taking an 18-14 lead heading into the second period.

It remained the same affair in the second quarter with the national side turning the ball over on multiple occasions, allowing Soc Trang to hold on for a 31-26 lead at halftime.

The national side managed to cut the deficit and tied the match at 42 apiece going into the final stanza.

The momentum was on the visitors' side but questionable calls by the referees would prove costly down the stretch.

Yap had the chance to seal the match in the dying seconds but his shot was off the mark, sending the game to overtime.

The national team would suffer in overtime with regulars Ahmad Termizi Nordeen and Po Yung Hui fouling out midway through the period as Soc Trang capitalised to close out the match.

"It was another disappointing loss that we fought so hard and came back to take the lead. We played decent but the mental errors hurt us in the end such as tipping the loose balls, blown defensive assignments and failure to box out," said national basketball coach Kevin Reece (pic) via a press release yesterday.

"These kinds of things are a painful learning experience. There are no moral victories, simple as that. However, Chun Ping, Yung Jian and Yung Hui came through and provided leadership on the floor when our captain (Ben Sim) was not here with us (despite) them are dealing with injuries," he said.

"I also take my hat off to Zainul and Mizi for providing the extra firepower and talent to the team as opposed to them being just token Malay players on the basketball squad," continued the American.

Nonetheless, Reece was rather satisfied with the overall outing.

"The opponents were good competitive teams. We were considered the best defensive team by the other coaches but they noted that we were not a physical team which we need to work on," said Reece.

"With the addition of Benjamin Lim (who didn't travel to Vietnam), it gives us the toughness and the 'bad boy' attitude that we sorely need and must have," he added.

"We lost two games in overtime and that's without having a full squad. Instead, we gave three students an opportunity and eventhough they made some mistakes, it was still a good learning process.

"The margin of losses were close instead of being blown out which many people think would occur to us since we're playing overseas," continued the Los Angeles native.

Some of the team members will return today while others, together with the coach, will come back on Sunday. The national team will continue working on their weaknesses once back on home soil.

"We'll keep on building and creating a bright basketball future in Brunei by inviting these Vietnamese teams and some Malaysian teams to join in the Sultan's Cup tournament," said Reece.

"It will help increase the competition and talent level as opposed to having Filipino teams dominating the tournament," added the 50-year-old.

"It's a shame that we couldn't bring home the cup but we're coming home smarter and hungrier than ever before," concluded the LA Lakers fan.

LQ Joton Inc finished as the champions while Soc Trang finished as runners-up. Can Tho took the bronze and Ninh Thuan finished last.

The Brunei Times