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| c/o Norman Goh |
The Heat were without Moses Morgan in this matchup, as he was still suffering from the ill effects of an inadvertent elbow from Qingde Wu during their 100-73 loss to the Singapore Slingers a week earlier. Already suffering a broken nose as a result, he also had been experiencing headaches during practices in the run-up to the semis, which forced him to sit out the game.
His absence was felt initially, with Malaysia scoring the first eight points of the match. However, that did not deter the team, with David Arnold, Paul Williams, and Lenny Daniel keeping Saigon within striking distance, eventually whittling down the deficit to just three after one quarter, 21-18. They would even take the lead on Daniel's triple just before the midway mark of the 2nd quarter, 26-24.
It wold eventually finish with a slim 35-33 halftime lead for the Dragons.
Ariel Vanguardia made the necessary adjustments during the break for the third period, as the Dragons began to go to Reggie Johnson in the post, scoring ten points. However, Saigon remained within striking distance by the end of the quarter, thanks to Daniel and Han Minh Trieu, as they still trail, 57-52.
The Heat finally wilted in the fourth quarter, as Johnson continued his rampage in the final quarter, while Shee Fai Loh began to make his shots and Jason Brickman's playmaking took its toll on the visitors.
Johnson finished with 29 points on 10/17 shooting, 23 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
Matthew Wright added eighteen markers, while Loh contributed 13 points off the bench.
The halftime adjustments "opened up everything," according to Vanguardia, noting that they "got away from what we're doing." He added they that "buckled down defensively," highlighting that they limited them to under 70 points. Ariel also cited the absence of Morgan as a factor in the slow start, as it threw them off-guard with their preparations.
Johnson also shared that same opinion with Vanguardia, saying that they were taking too much jumpers, pointing out that if they make "bring the ball inside out, they gotta help down and it opens threes."
Daniel finished with 29 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks to lead the Heat. Arnold and Williams each scored 13 markers.
Game 2 of this semifinal match-up will be on March 4 at Saigon's CIS Stadium. The Heat will have to win to force a winner-take-all or else Westports Malaysia will secure a finals berth.
