MANILA, Philippines — Nagparamdam agad ng puwersa ang Strong Group Athletics (SGA) matapos patumbahin ang United Arab Emirates (UAE), 99-91, sa opening day ng 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship na ginaganap sa Al Nasr Club sa Dubai, UAE.
Gaya ng inaasahan, matikas ang ratsada nina NBA veterans Chris McCullough at DeMarcus Cousins para pamunuan ang kanilang tropa sa 1-0 rekord.
May 28 points si McCullough, ang 2024 William Jones Cup Most Valuable Player, mula sa 10-of-17 shooting clip ,habang nagdagdag naman si Cousins ng 24 markers, 4 rebounds at 4 assists para sa SGA.
“We’re still in the process of familiarizing ourselves as a team, but we’ve been through this before and will become more cohesive as the tournament progresses,” sabi ni head coach Charles Tiu.
Malaki rin ang kontribusyon ni dating NBA gunner Malachi Richardson na umiskor ng 21 points, samantalng naglista si Rhenz Abando ng 13 markers.