Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
FUZHOU Shiyyi Association defied the odds to emerge champions of the YOU.C1000 Cup on Friday night.
They trailed 57-54 against TK Tea House going into the decisive frame and finally settled down to score 30 points in the final 10 minutes enroute to victory.
"We weren't playing as a team in the first three quarters. Everyone was frustrated and not talking to each other," said Fuzhou captain Esmond Tan after the triumph.
"We gathered and reminded everyone how we got here (final) and we played our best quarter in the whole tournament.
"At the back, we all got the mentality and want to be the champions. It is the final game and we had to play our game," he added.
Tan, who won his fifth championship in the annual tournament, got into foul trouble after picking up his third with over three minutes left in the opening period.
He eventually fouled out in the final minute of the game.
When asked on how he handled the situation, he replied: "I Just continued to play my game. I did a bit more sliding then just pushing around and put my hands up to stay out of foul trouble.
"I still fouled out in the end but I had trust on the team," added the 38-year-old.
Tan also credited Lim Liang Wei, who notched a game-high of 36 points - 29 of them in the second half - in powering them to victory.
"If I had to single out one person to be the MVP, that would be Liang Wei," said Tan.
"Everyone got the winning mentality but he got that extra 101% push that he wanted to become the champions," he concluded.
Medina: Our defence fell
Meanwhile, TK guard Earl Medina felt that it was their defence that let them down in the last frame.
Fuzhou heated up and at one point hit four straight three pointers.
"Our defence just fell and they kept scoring threes. That momentum changed the game," said Medina.
"I think overall our team did a great job but just fell short," he added.
The 16-year-old has been consistent from the foul line but missed a handful in the final.
When asked on what happened, Medina replied: "I don't know. Maybe it was just the pressure.
The match is the final for Medina as he departs for the Philippines on Wednesday to continue his studies.
He went on to thank his family, coach Teo and every member from Hana boyz for supporting him since day one.
