SPMG: Home team share the Honours with Solomon Islands

- July 25, 2005

POSTED BY: Eurobasket Center

Both Men and Women team were playing against the Solomon Islands in their first game of the Mini-Games. The Ladies lost 44-59 but the Boys managed to win their game 73-65 on the wings of Sunshine Soalablai!

Men: Palau - Solomon Islands: 73-65
The Solomon Islands players thought they had the game right in hand with a 12pts lead with 4 minutes to go. However four consecutive and unanswered 3pts shots from Palau put them even with three to go and with the momentum of a runaway train, ended up with a 73-65 win over a stunned Solomon team. With Yutaka Gibbons Jr unavailable for this game, Sunshine Soalablai carried the team on his shoulders and scored 20pts 8/15FG (including 4/7 from the 3pts range) in 24 minutes. Michael Williams netted 9pts 5/13FG in 25min.
Women: Palau - Solomon Islands: 44-59
The girls missed their first game in the women tournament, they shot only 17/76 (22.4%) from the field! Stephanie Ngirchoimei led her side with 14pts 6/19FG 12rbs in 35 minutes but she was targeted by the Solomon's agressive defence forcing her to miss a lot of shots. Her teamate Cheryl Rengulbai scored 9pts 3/8FG in 19 minutes.

The men will play Guam tomorrow and Micronesia on Wednesday. The women will face Papua New Guinea tomorrow.