ONE win away from championship glory.
Strong Group completed another swift demolition job of hapless Beirut Sports Club, 94-72, to punch its ticket to the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship finals for the first time on Sunday morning.
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There was no stopping the fiery tandem of Dwight Howard and Kevin Quiambao, who pounced on the Lebanese club from the get-go to the delight of a predominantly Filipino crowd at the Al Nasr Arena.
Howard topscored with 26 points and 20 rebounds while Quiambao added 18 in a game where SGA opened leads as big as 26 points before letting its second-stringers finish off its seventh win without a loss in this tournament.
Strong Group now faces the final hump to the crown in less than a day's time against its 2023 tormentor and reigning champion Al Riyadi from Lebanon — the only other team in the entire tournament not to lose a single game entering the gold-medal match.
After losing to the Lebanese side while Shabazz Muhammad and Renaldo Balkman carried the torch in a crestfallen effort last year, a new-look Philippine side will be out for vengeance and glory on Sunday evening (11:15 p.m. Manila time).
The reigning UAAP MVP waxed hot early, hitting three of his first four treys in the first half topped by a momentum-boosting four-point play which was immediately followed by another triple from an equally impressive Filipino ace in Justine Baltazar (15 points; 6-of-8 shooting).
From there, the remainder of the game was a carbon copy of the group phase meeting between both team in which the Philippine side caught fire from the opening tip through Quiambao's quick hits from distance and never looked back.
The scores:
Strong Group (94) - Howard 26, Quiambao 18, Baltazar 15, Heading 10, Moore 7, Roberson 6, Sanchez 5, Escandor 3, Cagulangan 2, Liwag 2, Ynot 0, Blatche DNP.
Beirut Sports Club (72) – Tucker 22, Saleh 19, El Darwich 8, Haidar 6, Rabay 6, Jarrouj 5, Mahmoud 3, Mezher 3, Mechref 0.
Quarterscores: 22-17, 50-34, 73-49, 94-72.
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