Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
WAN SING were crowned champions of the YOU.C1000 Cup after running away in the fourth quarter for a 66-55 win on Saturday.
Both sides looked lethargic, having played the semis the night before, in a finale that failed to live up to its billing.
Eric Palanca was the bright spot as he notched a game-high of 23 points to lead Wan Sing.
Joven Dungog was the other player in double figures with 10 to his name.
On the other side, Asi Medina topscored for Yuni-ku with 16 points while Aristeo Fullado added 14 to a losing cause.
The match got off to a slow start as both were sluggish to find the basket at the BBA Court in Batu Bersurat.
A three-point play by Medina saw the scoreboard read 13-11 in favour of Wan Sing heading into the second frame.
The three-point shooting for Yuni-ku deserted them for the encounter and their press couldn't deliver results.
Both sides couldn't be separated by more than two possessions throughout as Wan Sing led 43-40 at the end of the third stanza.
They scored back-to-back baskets to start the fourth before Fullado connected on a trey with 8:19 on the clock.
Yuni-ku were then held without a field goal for almost four minutes.
It was 55-46 on the 4:28 mark with Kenny Lim knocking down a jumper to stop the bleeding.
Yeo Jiun Jet finished a layup on a drive with three minutes to go to make it 58-46 for Wan Sing.
Dungog had to leave the match after picking up a cramp on the 2:27 mark.
Palanca, despite the pressure from midcourt, managed to wind down the clock and dribbled in for a strong finish with 1:39 in regulation to give Wan Sing their largest lead at 13.
Yuni-ku took a timeout and Lim knocked down an immediate three-pointer.
At the other end, Leonil Espina connected on a baseline jumper.
Fullado dropped a trey at the other end to keep Yuni-ku alive but Espina answered with another straight on jumpshot with 40 seconds left.
Lim then missed a shot from behind the arc at the other end to see Wan Sing claim victory.
Present as the guest of honour to give out the prizes to the winners was Joan Hii, the manager of Hui Huang Enterprise.
