Tanduay Alab Pilipinas eyes their first win in the ASEAN Basketball League when they take on Singapore Slingers in Laguna on Tuesday.

Alab lost a close contest to Christian Standhardinger and defending champion Hong Kong Eastern on November 19, Jimmy Alapag’s head-coaching debut for the Filipino club.

Alapag takes another crack at that first win in a battle against one of the top contenders that takes place at Sta. Rosa Multi-Purpose Complex.

Tipoff for the Alab-Slingers game is at 8 p.m.

Alab could be given a passing mark for their performance against Hong Kong.

After a wobbly start, Alapag and his crew rallied from 15 points down to make the game close in the fourth quarter.

Down the stretch was when Standhardinger flexed his muscle, scoring two field goals to lift Eastern to victory.

It took time for Alab to get going against the Hong Kong team, and the unfamiliarity with Alapag’s system showed as his players resorted to too many one-on-one plays.

The effort was there, but the execution left a lot to be desired, as Alab accounted for just 10 assists compared to Eastern’s 21.

Alab also had problems defending Eastern’s imports, as Standhardinger (26 points), Marcus Elliott (25) and Tyler Lamb (23) got away with a combined 74 points in the 92-89 win.

Against Slingers (1-1), Alab (0-1) faces two imports — Xavier Alexander and Ryan Wright — who accounted for 48 points in Singapore’s 77-66 win over CLS Knights on Sunday.

Alab hopes Ray Parks Jr., who finished with 17 points, will have a better start against Slingers on Wednesday.

Imports Reggie Okosa (28 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks) and Ivan Johnson (17 points and 15 rebounds) were consistent bright spots for Alab.

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