Singapore marched into their third straight Singlife Nations Cup final with a dominant 68-39 victory over Causeway rivals Malaysia at the OCBC Arena on Friday (7 Nov).
Defending champions Kenya also cruised past the Isle of Man 59-33 to set up a repeat of last year’s final, while Singapore A fell 51-44 to Papua New Guinea, who will now face Malaysia for third place.
The Causeway derby lived up to its billing as the Vandas shook off an early 2-0 deficit to lead 14-11 after the first quarter.
Clinical shooting from Amandeep Chahal and Toh Kai Wei, who converted 88.6% of their attempts, powered Singapore to a 31-18 lead at half-time. Malaysia struggled to find accuracy, sinking just 72% of their shots as Singapore’s defence tightened its grip.
Head coach Tara Steel’s second-half rotations did little to slow the hosts, with substitutes Goh Wei Ping and Lee Pei Shan maintaining the momentum by converting 88% and 94% respectively.
Goh said the convincing win gave the team confidence ahead of their rematch with Kenya and the upcoming SEA Games, adding that reducing unforced errors would be key. “We just need to stick to our game plan, fight hard, and stay sharp,” she said.
