STRONG Group Athletics turned on the jets midway through the fourth quarter to open the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship on a high following a 99-91 win over the United Arab Emirates National Team at the Al Nasr Club, early morning of Saturday (Philippine time).
Trailing by two early in the payoff period, Chris McCullough scored eight in a 22-5 run for the Philippines-based club to take the fight out of the host country for good.
A DeMarcus Cousins three-pointer gave SGA its biggest lead, 93-78, with 4:30 in a game that was tightly contested for the most part.
UAE, however, would respond with a 11-2 run of their own, with Hamid Abdullateef's three-pointer trimming the Strong Group lead to just six, 95-89.
But that was the closest they'll ever get to SGA, as McCullough and Rhenz Abando put the finishing touches on the win with clutch baskets of their own.
McCullough led the Philippine club off the bench with 28 points, while Cousins added 24 points, four rebounds and four assists.
Malachi Richardson also wound up with 21 points, while Abando was the lone local who breached double-digits in finishing with 13 points.
Mikey Williams, in his first professional basketball game since winning PBA Finals MVP in the 2023 Governors' Cup, ended up scoreless in nearly 25 minutes of action, though he led the team in assists with five, spiked with two steals.
Valientes join SGA in the action
SGA returns to action on Sunday, 1 a.m. when they take on home club Al Nasr, while fellow Philippine-based club Zamboanga Valientes make their debut in the tournament when they battle Sharjah SC.
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