Strong Group on a roll, repels Beirut First
MANILA, Philippines -- Make it three in a row for the Strong Group Athletics (SGA).
SGA won its third straight game in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship after keeping Beirut First at bay, 85-78, Tuesday morning (Manila time) at the Al Nasr club.
SGA saw its 21-point fourth quarter lead dwindle to a single-digit deficit, but the team hit the shots that mattered to secure the victory.
DeMarcus Cousins had his best outing for SGA thus far with 26 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. Ange Kouame added 14 markers and eight boards.
After a furious second quarter that saw the Philippine-based squad turn a 15-13 lead at the end of the first to a 49-34 advantage at the half, SGA looked primed to have another dominant win.
The lead went to as high as 21 points, 75-54, in the fourth quarter after a 3-pointer by Mikey Williams.
But a 12-1 run capped by a triple by Sergio El Darwich sliced the deficit to 10, 66-76, with 4:41 left.
A pair of free throws by Cousins pushed the lead back to a dozen, 78-66, in the next possession, but an and-one play by El Darwich and a deuce by Haidar made it a seven point spread, 71-78, with 3:05.
Cousins then responded with a triple to make it a 10-point edge anew, and Beirut played catchup the rest of the way. But the squaf could not get closer than seven points.
Dave Ildefonso added 12 markers for SGA, while Williams had eight. Chris McCullough was limited to just six points in a starting role.
El Darwich powered Beirut with 26 points, while Mohamed Ali Haidar chipped in 18 markers and six boards. Ali Mezher had 10 points and 10 rebounds.
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