Cebu Chooks kept its semis hopes alive in the 2022 FIBA 3×3 Dubai Expo Super Quest in dramatic fashion.
Behind the heroics of Mac Tallo and Mike Nzeusseu, Cebu Chooks scored a huge come-from-behind win against USA’s Chicago, taking a 21-15 (8:14), Wednesday at the Expo Sports Arena in Dubai.
Trailing 10-5 midway through the game, the trio of Tallo, Zach Huang, and Brandon Ramirez joined hands in an 8-3 run to tie things up at 13-all with 4:02 remaining.
The two teams then went back and forth before Nzeusseu scored on the inside to give Cebu Chooks a 16-15 lead with three minutes left.
With the momentum on their side, Huang and Tallo continued the scoring spree while a Ramirez putback sent the Filipinos to matchpoint with 2:02 remaining. Nzeusseu then scored the winner after a blow-by against Zahir Carrington with 1:46 to spare.
With the win, Cebu Chooks went up to 1-1 in Pool B while dropping Chicago to 0-2. Both Latvia’s Riga and Belgium’s Antwerp have 1-0 slates as of publishing.
Tallo led the way for Cebu Chooks with 10 points built on three deuces. Nzeusseu got five points — including two dunks while Ramirez and Huang got three points each.
Carrington, USA’s fourth-ranked played, led Chicago with five points while no. 3 Craig Moore and Jordan Hamilton got four points apiece for the Americans.
It will be do-or-die for Cebu when it faces Antwerp at 11:30PM later in the day. Only the top two teams will advance to the knockout semis of this level eight FIBA 3×3 tournament.
The Scores:
Cebu Chooks 21 – Tallo 10, Nzeusseu 5, Ramirez 3, Huang 3.
Chicago 15 – Carrington 5, Moore 4, Wilkerson 4, Hamilton 2.
