Hwa Chong Institution and Hin Hua High School delivered a competitive finish in the final game of the 2025 NBA Rising Stars Invitational opener, capping a day otherwise marked by blowouts.
The hometown squad leaned on the trio of Chrystal Joe, Kong Qian Ya, and captain Madelin Lock, who combined for 43 points to lift Hwa Chong to a 69–63 win over their Malaysian counterparts.
Hwa Chong built a 10-point cushion in the first quarter, but Hin Hua steadily chipped away and closed the gap to just two by halftime. Momentum swung back and forth in the second half, yet Hwa Chong remained composed in the closing minutes to seal the victory.
“Our team spirit really pushed us together because we worked really hard to get to where we are today and get this opportunity to play in the NBA Rising Stars Invitational,” Qian Ya said in the post-game press conference.
She added: “We remained calm and composed at all times even though it was really close. There was slight pressure because we were losing at times, but even though sometimes we were losing our lead, we still didn’t panic. We listened to each other’s instructions and worked together as a team really well.”
In the other girls’ division matchup, Tsinghua University High School of China pulled away in the second half to take a 74–60 win over Thailand’s Watnoinoppakhun School.
After leading 43–35 at halftime, Tsinghua turned up the intensity on both ends to cruise to its first win of the tournament.
Elsewhere, Australia’s Berwick College, China’s Tsinghua High School, South Korea’s Yongsan High School, and Japan’s Fukuoka University Senior High School all opened with emphatic wins in the boys’ division.
Berwick made a strong first impression with a 95–61 rout of host school United World College South East Asia Dover.
“It feels really good to kick off our tournament with a win,” Berwick’s Jack Byrne bared. “Playing in front of a big crowd in a big stadium, it’s really noisy and good to get our first win here.”
Yongsan followed with a dominant 82–28 victory over Assumption College Thonburi of Thailand.
Tsinghua cruised past Indonesia’s Jubilee School, 78–53, while Fukuoka recorded the most lopsided result of the day with a 41-point blowout of Anglo-Chinese School of Singapore.
