STRONG Group Athletics took its third win in as many games in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championships following a breezy 85-78 win over Beirut First at the Al Nasr Club in Doha in the wee hours of Tuesday morning (Manila time).
DeMarcus Cousins had his best game yet for SGA, and he had plenty of support from the local side led by naturalized Pinoy Ange Kouame and Dave Ildefonso.
Kouame and Ildefonso combined for 14 points in a pivotal second quarter which saw the Philippine club pull away from a close 15-13 first quarter and take a commanding 49-34 lead at the half – a lead they’d never relinquished.
SGA padded that lead to as many as 21 points early in the fourth, 75-54, following a Mikey Williams three-pointer before Beirut made a mini-rally, ultimately to no avail.
The Lebanese team went as close as seven, 78-71, with a little over three minutes remaining in the ball game but that was the closest they’d come as the boys of coach Charles Tiu cruised to the finish line and took their third straight win.
Cousins led the way with 26 points on 8-16 shooting, including four triples while also hauling down 12 boards, and adding two steals and a block in a solid all-around game for the four-time NBA All-Star.
Kouame finished with 14 points and eight rebounds while Ildefonso added 12, making all but one of his six attempts from the field. Williams added eight points and five assists.
Sergio El Darwich finished with 26 points for the Lebanese side which were reinforced by NBA veteran and former Blackwater import Ricky Ledo.
But Ledo’s struggles against Filipinos continued as he was limited to seven points on 3-10 shooting.
Up next for SGA is Jordanian club Amman United on Thursday, 1 AM. The Zamboanga Valientes, on the other hand, returns to action Wednesday 1 AM when they take on Sagesse SportsClub.
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