Nanyang Technological University, Monday, 5 January 2009 - One phrase comes to mind when one was watching the basketball match between Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) and Singapore Polytechnic (SP) – Never Say Die. The two women's teams displayed boundless determination which resulted in a heart-stopping match. NYP was on the onslaught since the beginning of the match, focusing on offense. With good teamwork, their strength lies in her shooters. Most of the player's attempted three-point shots went straight through the hoop. The team covered the court well, controlling the game during the first half. As a result, by the third period, NYP was leading by seven points.

Refusing to back down, SP concentrated on the rebound and defence while trying to narrow NYP's lead. Unfortunately, it resulted in fouls being committed and NYP was awarded free throws. This resulted in confusion amongst the SP players. Some players were fumbling with the ball and there was even an instance where one player passed the ball to a rival team member. In the fourth period, SP decided to give its all and stepped up on the attacks. As part of a free throw, a shot by SP's Lee Ming Shi managed to set the score at 44:41, with NYP still leading. The court was filled with tense atmosphere as NYP's supporters started to chant in unison, “Defence! Defence!” The tempo of the game increased in the match's final moments. The last minute of the game was filled with thrilling instances as the two teams took turns to lead on the scoreboard. With 49 seconds left on the game, SP was leading with the score 44:46. However a three-pointer by NYP soon tilted the win back in their favour. With only two seconds left on the clock, one of the SP players, Jing Hui, occurred a serious injury, causing a time-out.

A final two-pointer was scored by NYP's Xiang Lin and the final score stood at 52:49, led by NYP.

Lee Ming Shi, one of the key scorers from SP comments, “Compared to other matches, this is one of our team's closest matches. So it was a good start for us and I feel that as a team, we have improved. However, one of the areas which I feel we can improve on is our offense as I think if we improve on our attacking skills, our chances of winning will also increase.”