Facing their toughest challenge in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship, Strong Group Athletics emerged victorious with a 91-89 win over Al Ahly Tripoli, solidifying their position atop Group B on Thursday morning (Manila time) at Al Nasr Club.
The Philippine-based club team will now face the fourth-seeded team from the other group, which could be either Al Ahly Benghazi, Al Nasr, or AS Salé.
In a closely contested match against Libya’s top team, SGA found themselves in a back-and-forth battle, trailing 78-81 midway through the final frame.
The trio of Andre Roberson, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Quiambao delivered a crucial surge for SGA, powering inside to reclaim the lead at 83-81.
Andray Blatche expanded the advantage to seven, making it 89-82 with 2:07 remaining.
Although Mohamed Sadi and Nicholas West narrowed the gap to a single point with 31 seconds left, a pair of free throws by Jordan Heading and key stops in the final moments secured the sweep for SGA.
Heading led SGA with 19 points, including five three-pointers, while Howard and Quiambao contributed 17 points each.
Roberson added 13 points to the scoreboard.
Naseim Badrush led Al Ahly Tripoli with 27 points.
The Scores:
Strong Group (91) – Heading 19, Howard 17, Quiambao 17, Roberson 13, Blatche 10, Moore 7, Baltazar 3, Liwag 3, Escandor 2, Ynot 0.
Al Ahli Tripoli (89) – Badrush 27, Sadi 22, Munoz 17, West 10, Wesley 6, Dawo 5, Ramadan 2, Abdrahim 0, A Sedek 0.
Quarterscores: 20-27, 51-50, 74-73, 91-89.
