Zamboanga wins ABL debut vs. Surabaya

Antonio Hester

Zamboanga made a successful ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) debut on Tuesday night with a 108-94 win against Louvre Surabaya on the second night of the ABL Invitational at the OCBC Arena in Singapore. Zamboanga turned the tides in the fourth quarter, outscoring Surabaya, 43-20, to overturn a 65-74 deficit at the end of the third quarter. Antonio Hester (198-F-1990, college: Mobile, AL), Terrafirma's import during the 2022 PBA Governors' Cup, led Zamboanga with 35 points on 15-of-26 shooting, 11 rebounds, three assists, and four steals. Jeremy Arthur added 21 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and five steals, while Ryan Smith (192-G-1992) chipped in 18 points, 16 rebounds, two assists, three blocks, and four steals off the bench as Zamboanga joins opening-night winners Hong Kong Eastern and host team Singapore Slingers at the top of the team standings. Marcus Hammonds (196-F/G-1987, college: TAMUCC), known locally as a former mainstay with the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 program, showed that he too can be dominant in the 5-on-5 game by leading Surabaya with 32 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals. Alioune Tew (206-C-1992, college: Niagara) added 24 points, 22 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and four steals for Surabaya, which fell to a tie with NS Matrix Malaysia and Bangkok at the bottom.
Courtesy of: pna.gov.ph

Tags : ANTONIO HESTER, ZAMBOANGA VALIENTES, FILIPINO BASKETBALL