Northern Ireland fall to Singapore in NWYC2025

The Tercentenary Sports Hall witnessed a tense battle for the bottom of the table as the tournament progressed. Northern Ireland, who had lost their previous matches, faced Singapore. Neither team had gained any points yet.

The first two quarters were difficult for Northern Ireland, who found themselves trailing early on as Singapore extended their lead to 23-12 with three minutes remaining before halftime. Northern Ireland attempted to claw their way back before the break and reduced the deficit slightly, with the first half ending with Singapore leading 26-15 on the final shot. This was another blow to the morale of the Northern Ireland side.

Having already seen a player injured in the tournament against Scotland, and after suffering defeat to the same Northern Ireland team, Singapore’s prospects in the competition seemed to be fading fast. However, Northern Ireland appeared to be energised by the halftime break and pushed forward to close the gap. By three minutes into the third quarter, they were behind 27-18, managing to stall Singapore temporarily.

Despite this effort, Singapore made headway and extended their lead to 30-19. It was a tough physical contest, despite being considered a no-contact sport, with players marking each other out on the court using body checks, causing the scores to gradually balance. Singapore was leading 32-20 with four minutes remaining in the quarter. The third quarter ended with Singapore ahead 35-25. Although Northern Ireland managed to reduce the deficit narrowly, it wasn’t enough to make significant headway.

Northern Ireland's efficiency under the basket was faltering—they needed three attempts to score 27 points, while Singapore had only managed one point themselves in three minutes. Slowly, Northern Ireland worked their way back, and with ten minutes remaining, the score was 37-28. They brought the score within ten points with just over seven minutes to go, showing some positive signs, though they appeared slow at times and lacked urgency to restart quickly. Singapore capitalised on this and pulled ahead to a thirteen-point margin, leading 43-30.

Singapore finished the game with a 50-32 victory, climbing above Northern Ireland in the table.