The Kuala Lumpur rallied back from a 20-point deficit to shock the Formosa Dreamers, winning 80-79 in the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
It was the largest deficit that the Dragons had ever come back from in ABL, and it was accomplished via a furious second half run. But before the comeback, the Dreamers looked every bit like the hottest team in the league, winners of three straight contests. With Anthony Tucker bombing away from downtown, and Jerran Young flashing his athleticism once again, the Dreamers, the squad was able to take a 17 point lead into the halftime break, 50-33.
A triple by Tucker, his sixth of the game, gave the Dreamers it’s biggest lead of the game at the 9-minute mark of the third quarter. But to the delight of the fans at home, that proved to be the jolt that woke up the Dragons. With Will Artino, Cade Davis and Amir Bell leading the way, the Dragons all but erased a 17- point halftime deficit to only trail by 2 points entering the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was a tense affair, with both teams trading booming baskets and lead changes until the last few minutes. But clutch triples from Cade Davis and Loh Shee Fai gave the Dragons a three point lead with 1:13 left in the game.
But Tucker continued to pour it on, as he singlehandedly took on the Dragons in scoring. A triple with 22 seconds remaining gave the Dreamers a one-point lead with 22 seconds remaining, 79-78. However Bell wound up hitting the biggest shot of the day, a clutch jumper shoved the Dragons ahead. A costly turnover by Young in the end game secured the victory for the Malaysia-based squad.
Davis and Artino combined to each score 22 points for the Dragons, that had four players score in double-figures. Amir Bell chipped in with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, while Loh came off the bench to provide 11 points on 3 of 6 shooting from beyond the arc.
Tucker and Young led the way for the Dreamers, with Tucker knocking down 7 triples in the contest en route to 24 points. Young had a double-double of 25 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Jet Chang was stellar once again, tallying 15 points and 8 rebounds.
The Dragons improve to 4-1 on the season, while the Dreamers drop to 5-6. The Dragons will take on the league-leading Mono Vampire Basketball Club on January 15, while the Dreamers battle the Saigon Heat on January 18.
