Strong Group-Philippines stormed into the semifinals of the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship with a commanding 100-63 victory over Sharjah SC on Friday morning (Manila time) at Al Nasr Club.
It was the most dominant performance yet for Strong Group in the tournament, much to the satisfaction of head coach Charles Tiu.
“Good win for us—great team effort. We played our best defensive game, and the guys stuck to the game plan. We knew they’d rely on a lot of zone defense, so we prepared and scouted them well,” said Tiu.
“I watched them beat Zamboanga live, and although they lost some tough games in this tournament, we wanted to establish an early lead and prevent them from gaining confidence,” he added, referring to Sharjah’s 97-82 victory over the Valientes on opening day.
Strong Group wasted no time taking control, racing to a 24-12 lead behind the efforts of Rhenz Abando, DeMarcus Cousins, Malachi Richardson, and Jason Brickman.
Chris McCullough, Dave Ildefonso, and Mikey Williams maintained the intensity, extending the lead to as much as 37 points to seal the lopsided win.
Cousins led the charge with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, along with 10 rebounds. McCullough contributed 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting and grabbed six rebounds.
Ildefonso and Williams chipped in 11 points each, while Richardson added nine. Brickman had eight points, Abando finished with seven, and Ange Kouame recorded six points and four rebounds.
With the win, Strong Group now faces world No. 36 Tunisia in the semifinals.
Tunisia secured its spot in the final four with a 93-83 victory over Amman United.
“The semifinals are what really matter now. We have a tough matchup against the Tunisian national team, which is playing like a well-oiled machine,” said Tiu.
Nick West led Sharjah with 19 points and seven rebounds, while former NLEX import DeQuan Jones added 18 points and six boards.
The semifinal showdown is set for Saturday.
The Scores:
Strong Group 100 – Cousins 21, McCullough 20, Ildefonso 11, Williams 11, Richardson 9, Brickman 8, Abando 7, Kouame 6, Liwag 4, Sanchez 3, Blatche 0, Koon 0.
Sharjah 63 – West 19, Jones 18, Asad 9, Roberson 9, Gueye 2, Al Midfa 2, Almaazmi 2, Thani 2, Alhammadi 0, Alkharoosi 0, Ahmad 0, Alblooshi 0.
Quarterscores: 31-16, 49-37, 75-51, 100-63.
