Cousins lifts Valientes to victory

MANILA, Philippines — Ex-NBA star Demarcus Cousins led the Zamboanga Valientes to a perfect championship run following an 81-65 trashing of the Macau Black Bears in the Asian Tournament grand finals over the weekend at the Zamboanga City Coliseum.

The 6-foot-10 Cousins flirted with a triple-double of 21 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists, saving his best for last after limited action in the elimination round.

Rickey Brice collared 25 points and 10 rebounds en route to the Finals MVP citation after leading the squad right from the get go.

Former PBA players Mike Tolomia, Rudy Lingganay, Mac Belo and Franky Johnson also threw in ample contributions for the team owned by Junnie Navarro.