ABL – Slammers rally to beat Patriots and claim ABL Season 2 title

MANILA (ABL Season 2) - Asean Basketball League debutants Thailand Chang Slammers displayed character, quality and most importantly composure in front of an away crowd to wrap up the ABL Season 2 Finals with a 75-68 win against defending champions Philippine Patriots at the Philsports Arena on Saturday.

Having lost Game 1 66-58 in Bangkok, the Patriots made a good start to the game as they looked to force a deciding Game 3, but they came up short against the stubborn Slammers, who swept the best-of-three series 2-0.

Baguion Froilan led the way for the Slammers with 19 points, hitting four of his seven three-point attempts, while Ardy Larong added 15 points and five steals.

American center Jason Dixon and Cameroon guard Chris Kuete played their roles to perfection as the visitors erased a 14-point third quarter deficit.

Dixon, who incidentally averaged 15.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game in steering the Patriots to the title last year, had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Slammers.

Kuete accounted for a dozen points, all of them coming in the decisive fourth quarter.

Gabe Freeman and Benedict Fernandez scored 16 points each for the Patriots, with the former also collecting 13 rebounds.

Steven Thomas had a game-high 15 boards to go with his 13 points.

The Slammers were quickest out of the gates as they led 18-13 at the end of the first quarter, before the Patriots went ahead for the first time 21-19 courtesy of a Fernandez three-pointer and closed the first half 32-30 ahead.

The defending champions began the third quarter with an 8-0 run and looked on course to push the series to a deciding Game 3 as they went up 50-36 with two minutes left in the period.

However, the Slammers regained their composure and kept clipping away at the lead, getting within 52-47 heading into the final frame.

They scored seven unanswered points midway through the fourth quarter for their first lead of the second half, 66-63.

Fernandez brought parity to the score once again, but the Slammers were already in the ‘zone’ for the kill.

The Slammers closed the game with a 9-2 run in an all-round scoring and clinched the title.

Click here for boxscore and detailed statistics.

FIBA Asia