Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

Basketball

Mighty Sports’ gallant stand falls short against Al Riyadi, drops to bronze game


They may have showed that they are able to keep up with the Middle East’s best, but it was just not enough for Mighty Sports.

Their inability to stop the hot shooting of Al Riyadi early was the downfall for Mighty Sports Philippines. They absorbed an 84-89 loss to the Lebanese-side to fall to the third place game, Saturday morning (Manila time) at the Shabab Al Ahli Club in Dubai.

With the loss, Mighty Sports will figure in a rematch against Homenetmen on Saturday. The Philippine-based club team defeated the defending Lebanon Basketball League champions five days ago, 89-96.

Al Riyadi – a squad that defeated Mighty Sports two years ago by the same margin 100-95 – torched the Charles Tiu-mentored squad early in the contest. By the half, Al Riyadi had already drained eight triples to lead by 14. Their advantage grew to 24 points, 66-42, with 7:38 left in the third.

But the duo of Justin Brownlee and Jeremiah Gray would not let Mighty Sports go down easy. The two combined for 21 of Mighty’s 27 points in the third canto to cut the lead down to just single digits entering the final frame.

Brownlee finished with 24 points on 33-percent shooting, four rebounds, and four assists. Meanwhile, Gray had 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting with five rebounds and two steals in off-the-bench duties.

Seeing their teammates battle it out, the rest of Mighty Sports zoned in on their defense in the last 10 minutes of the contest. A basket by Randolph Morris would cut the lead down to just four with seven minutes remaining.

#ReadMore  Justin Brownlee, Pelita Jaya clinch spot to BCL Asia proper

Wael Arakji and Dominic Johnson tried to break the will of Mighty Sports by converting cold-blooded triples, but the Filipinos continued pushing.

Morris – who had struggled to find his touch on the stripe – converted four straight free throws late to keep Mighty Sports within striking range with 36 seconds left. After getting a stop, Brownlee tried to continue the rally, but his jumper fell short with 11 seconds left as time expired.

Though in foul trouble for most of the game, Morris still put up 21 points and eight boards.

Juan Gomez de Liano and Roosevelt Adams could not find their touch all game long, combining to shoot just 4-of-12 from the field for a total of 12 points. Jason Brickman had eight points but was limited to just three dimes.

Arakji led Al Riyadi with 23 points, while Johnson had 20 markers built on six triples. As a team, the runners-up in last season’s LBL knocked down 14 triples compared to just six for Mighty Sports.


The Scores:

Mighty Sports 84 – Brownlee 24, Morris 21, Gray 17, De Liano 8, Brickman 8, Adams 4, Santillan 2, Odom 0, Banal 0.

Al Riyadi 89 – Arakji 23, Johnson 20, Saoud 12, Abdelnour 10, Abdelmoneim 9, Gyokchyan 8, Obekpa 7, Bowjee 0, Khatib 0.

Quarterscores: 20-26, 40-54, 67-76, 84-89.

Written By


You May Also Like

Basketball

Nearly two years into his tenure with Gilas Pilipinas Men, Justin Brownlee has repeatedly proven that the Philippines’ success on the international basketball stage...

Basketball

Prior to the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers, Gilas Pilipinas Men’s head coach Tim Cone promised fans a highly motivated...

Basketball

After four lopsided defeats, Gilas Pilipinas finally cracked the Tall Blacks code. Kai Sotto and Justin Brownlee led the way as the Philippines secured...

Basketball

In a controversial finish, Lyceum of the Philippines University edged out College of St. Benilde, 82-81, to claim the last Final Four spot in...

Basketball

By: Bjorn Del Deade College of Saint Benilde had to withstand tough back-to-back matchups against Mapua and San Beda, with each game going down...

Basketball

Justin Brownlee is expected to suit up and play in Gilas Pilipinas’ home stand in the upcoming window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025...

Basketball

By: Bjorn Del Deade San Beda still had no answer for Jhomel Ancheta. Much like their Round 1 match-up, Ancheta came through once again,...

Basketball

Filipino-Australian guard Jordan Heading is finally set to make his debut in the Philippine Basketball Association as he joins Converge. In a trade with...

Advertisement