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Strong Group punches semis berth in Dubai, annihilates Sharjah SC

Sports | Basketball

Strong Group punches semis berth in Dubai, annihilates Sharjah SC

By Mark Rey Montejo

At A Glance

Strong Group Athletics remained unbeaten and inched closer to a tournament sweep after demolishing Sharjah SC, 100-63, to punch its semifinal berth in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship early Friday, Jan. 31 (Manila time).

Strong Group Athletics remained unbeaten and inched closer to a tournament sweep after demolishing Sharjah SC, 100-63, to punch its semifinal berth in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship early Friday, Jan. 31 (Manila time).

After playing for limited minutes in the last contest, DeMarcus Cousins stamped his class and sparked SGA's 23-1 onslaught in the first quarter to make it 28-12 — a lead the Philippine ball club protected until the final horn against the hometown bets.

With its victory, the Charles Tiu-guided squad now awaits its rival in the semifinal Saturday, Feb. 1.

It was also SGA’s fifth straight win in the annual competition after sweeping its pool assignments to remain unblemished in Dubai.

Cousins finished with 21 points off an 8-of-13 shooting, on top of 10 rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block in 20 minutes of action while his fellow reinforcements in Chris McCullough and Malachi Richardson added 20 and nine points, respectively.

Mikey Williams and Dave Ildefonso also contributed 11 points each while Rhenz Abando impressed on the defensive end as he listed four steals and a block with seven points and four rebounds.

Nicholas West and Dequan Jones starred for the UAE-based group with 19 and 18 points.

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