Three different Strong Group players breach the 20-point mark in scoring as they blew past UAE in the fourth quarter of the34th Dubai International Basketball Championship.
Chris McCullough and DeMarcus Cousins did the heavy lifting for the Strong Group Athletics as they outplayed the UAE National Team, 99-91, in their opening game of the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Al Nasr Club on Friday (early Saturday morning, Manila time).
McCullough made the most of his time off of the bench to finish with a team-high 28 points on 10-of-17 shooting to pace Strong Group in the victory. Former NBA star Cousins, for his part, fit right in with the Charles Tiu-coached team.
As a starter, Cousins finished with 24 markers, four boards, four assists, one steal, and one block.
Both players finished with a +27 in efficiency in the victory.
SGA used a pivotal 19-3 run in the fourth quarter to seize control of the game against the UAE NT, punctuated by a triple from McCullough to make it a 14-point lead for Strong Group, 90-76, with 4:55 remaining in the ball game.
Rhenz Abando paced the locals with 13 markers, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals.
Malachi Richardson was the other player in double-digit scoring with 21 points.
Demarco Dickerson paced UAE in the losing effort with 25 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Strong Group hopes to ride the momentum of their win when they face Al Nasr on Saturday (early Sunday morning in Manila).
Also playing on Day 2 is the other Filipino team Zamboanga Valientes who are making their debut in the tournament.
Zamboanga faces Sharjah SC in the game before Strong Group.