Strong Group Philippines made quick work of Al Sharjah Club to advance to the semifinals of the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship.
Strong Group Philippines will advance to the semifinals of the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship after powering past Al Sharjah Club on Friday morning (Manila time) at the Al Nasr Club.
SGA built a double-digit lead early on in the match led by former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins. The 34-year-old big man was supported by locals such as Jason Brickman and Dave Ildefonso in the first-quarter surge.
Despite Al Sharjah’s efforts to trim the gap, Strong Group continued to hold on to the lead by half-time, 49-36.
Come the second half, Cousins and the rest of SGA continued to have their way against Sharjah, extending their lead by as many as 37 points to end the match.
With the win, Strong Group clinched their semifinal berth where they will face Tunisia's national basketball team on Saturday, Feb 1.
Cousins finished with a game-high 21 points to go along with 10 rebounds and four assists. Chris McCullough added 16 markers, while Dave Ildefonso and Mikey Williams had 11 each.
Nicholas West paced Al Sharjah Club with 19 points while Dequan Jones had 18 in the loss.