ZAMBOANGA Valientes capped the Singapore Circuit of the 2023 ABL Invitational with an 87-79 win over Singapore Slingers on Sunday at OCBC Arena.
Antonio Hester scored 10 of his 28 points in the Philippine side's big third quarter, to go with 10 rebounds, five assists, and four steals.
But it was Rudy Lingganay who caught fire late, scoring nine in the final five minutes including a pair of treys that helped Zamboanga stage a 13-3 blast and take an 87-72 lead with 1:16 left.
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The veteran guard wound up with 14 points, three boards, and three assists as the Valientes ended their campaign in this leg with an even 2-2 record.
American import Ryan Smith finished with a double-double of 15 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks, as James Kwekuteye had nine points and three boards in the win.
Zamboanga will try to sustain this run in the Batam Circuit in Indonesia when it plays the Cooly Bangkok Tigers on Thursday.
Kentrell Barkley paced the Slingers with 29 points and 11 rebounds, while Chanceler Gettys had 19 points and 14 boards in the losing cause.
The scores:
ZAMBOANGA 87 - Hester 28, Smith 15, Lingganay 14, Kwekuteye 9, Arthur 8, Chan 5, Amores 5, Bernardo 3, Cawaling 0, Carino 0.
SINGAPORE 79 - Barkley 29, Gettys 19, Goh 12, Alexander 11, Helzer 3, Liew 3, Lim 2, Mah 0.
Quarters: 20-28, 47-49, 67-61, 87-79.