Unlike their first four games, Mighty Sports-Go for Gold Philippines had to dig deep against South Korea, taking an 89-82 come-from-behind win, Tuesday evening at the Changhua County Gymnasium in Taiwan
Down 62-70 early the final frame, the reinforcements of the HealthCube-backed squad took charge.
Renaldo Balkman and Hamady N’Diaye joined hands in slamming home thunderous jams to give Mighty Sports a 74-73 lead with 4:55 left.
MacKenzie Moore then joined in to end the game with a blistering 18-2 run to hand the South Koreans its first loss in the tournament.
Balkman had 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, one steal, and a block while N’Diaye scored all six of his points in the final frame.
Moore and Zach Graham added 17 and 16 markers, respectively, while Eugene Phelps chipped in 14 points.
Floor general Jason Brickman glued things together with five assists, five rebounds, two points, and a steal.
South Korea, who is using this tournament in its preparation for the 2019 FIBA World Cup, was led by Ricardo Ratliffe, who had 24 points and 20 rebounds. Choi Junyong had 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists as well.
Mighty Sports will get a two-break break before facing Indonesia on Friday, July 19.
The Scores:
Mighty Sports 89 – Balkman 19, Moore 17, Graham 16, Phelps 14, Gray 7, N’Diaye 6, Williams 5, Adams 3, Brickman 2.
South Korea 82 – Ratliffe 24, Choi 14, Lee J. 11, Lee D. 11, Heo 9, Lee S. 5, Kim S. 4, Kim J. 4, Song 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 51-38, 60-66, 89-82.
