Skinner beats the clock to give Segamat fourth title
KUALA LUMPUR: Segamat bagged their fourth Malaysian Women’s Basketball League (MWBL) title but not after a buzzer beater in the final seconds of the match by Australian import Demi Skinner in a thrilling final.
With the scores tied and with only four seconds remaining on the clock, a big corner mid-range jump-shot by Skinner gave Segamat a 65-63 victory over Matrix in the final at the Maba Stadium yesterday.
The Australian was also named the final’s most valuable player as she ended the match with 22 points and eight rebounds.
National player and team captain Pang Hui Pin was also instrumental for Segamat with 15 points and seven rebounds.
The match saw Segamat got off to a fiery start, racing to an 11-2 lead in the first quarter guided by Hui Pin with seven points.
But in the second quarter, Matrix injected the much needed pace into their game through their speedy Filipino point guard Mae Cabinbin France, as Australian Courtney Bayliss put in several big shots to give them their first lead of the game at 33-32.
But a late first-half three pointer by Skinner gave Segamat a 35-33 going into the half-time break.
The third quarter saw both teams equally matched but Skinner came out strong in the fourth quarter with 10 points to help Segamat to a 63-60 lead in the dying minutes.
But a foul outside the arc on Matrix’s Yap Fook Yee with few seconds remaining on the clock awarded her with three free throws, which she converted to tie the scores.
It was then that Skinner came to the rescue with a buzzer beater for the title.
Skinner said she was praying the shot would go in and credited her teammates for the final’s most valuable player award.
“When I put it up, it felt good and then I just hoped it would go in as this team deserve another title,” said Skinner.
“The award is a credit to my teammates because I couldn’t have done it without them.”
Segamat head coach Thoh Chai Ling attributed the success to the trust between the team and coaches.
“It was a great team work. We knew Demi is a good shooter and we trusted her with the final shot,” said Chai Ling.