Loss vs Japan U21: 99-108
I came into the game with no expectations, and seeing the Japanese putting in more effort in the game made me accept the fact that we would qualify in fourth place (India U21 beat South Korea U21 tonight, but I realized that due to their forfeit match, they wouldn't qualify even if they beat Philippines U21 with a big enough margin to go above us on point difference). But the game engine just had to be cruel and torture me.
To be fair, they could have just boosted the Japan U21 team and made our players underperform all round. But no, they had to pick a scapegoat, and a ridiculous one that is. Goh Kwang Jia, who is our best scorer in his best form, actually goes 22% from the field, missing even his wide open shots.
In the end, Sng Hao Heng had to take the reigns on offense and switch his mindset to be a score first guard to log 27 points, including 5 of 7 from 3. Jimmy Elbert was active on the boards, pulling down 18 rebounds. Meanwhile Kum Fu Keong showed his defensive prowessness from the bench as he picked up 6 stocks.
We have one last game to go, against China U21, whom will also play us in the next round (let's hope it's our opening game for the next stage, haha). Next round predictions will likely be Saudi Arabia U21, Vietnam U21/Australia U21 (depending on who wins their matchup), Thailand U21, and Kazakhstan U21. Let's hope for a favourable draw!