The Westports Malaysia Dragons halted their four-game losing streak on Sunday, coming away with an 84-74 victory over the Formosa Dreamers at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.
The two teams were harboring heartbreaking defeats in their previous games, but it was the Dragons who prevailed and improve to a 2-4 record.
Marcus Marshall netted 30 points while adding 5 rebounds and 6 assists. The fiery point guard also had 3 steals.
“Our main focus is getting the win and playing hard on defense,” Marshall said about their team’s performance. “I’m just happy we came out with the win.”
It was a slow start for the home team as they missed their first eight shots of the game. Eventually, they picked up their groove in the succeeding quarters thanks to the stellar play of Marshall, Joshua Munzon, and AJ West.
The Dragons used a backbreaking 8-0 run in the fourth quarter to create separation from the Dreamers. New import Ronnie Aguilar and the rest of the Dreamers gallantly fought their way back but a booming three-pointer by Marshall made it 74-67 with just two minutes remaining.
Clutch free throws by Marshall and West gave the Dragons their second win of the season. West ended up with a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds (11 offensive) despite having foul trouble in the second half. Fortunately, the Malaysian locals stepped up for their import.
Ivan Yeo only had four points but he was tenacious on the boards with 14. Tian Kuek also added 7 rebounds.
“The locals played great. They brought all they had defensively. They moved without the ball on offense. Hats off to their locals,” mentioned Marshall.
Malaysia only shot 32 percent from the field but outrebounded Formosa, 62-50. With everybody crashing the boards, the Dragons also had 22 second chance points.
The Dreamers on the other hand, have suffered their fifth straight defeat. Newcomer Aguilar had 22 points and 22 rebounds in the loss. The Dreamers are now 1-7 in the standings.
