Strong Group’s DeMarcus Cousins during a quarterfinal game against Sharjah SC Dubai International Basketball Championship at Al Nasr Club Friday (Manila time).–SGA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Strong Group Athletics (SGA) continued its stellar showing in the Dubai International Basketball on Friday (Manila time) after cruising past Sharjah SC, 100-63, and into the semifinal round.
Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins led the way for Strong Group with 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds.
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“Good win for us—great team effort. We played our best defensive game, and the guys stuck to the game plan. We knew they’d rely on a lot of zone defense, so we prepared and scouted them well,” said Strong Group coach Charles Tiu, whose squad was coming off an 84-75 win over Amman United Club in Thursday’s quarterfinal.
READ: Strong Group sweeps way to Dubai quarters, Valients go winless
“I watched them beat Zamboanga live, and although they lost some tough games in this tournament, we wanted to establish an early lead and prevent them from gaining confidence,” Tiu added, referring to Sharjah’s 97-82 whipping of the Valientes on opening day.
Chris McCullough added 20 points and six rebounds while locals Mikey Williams and Dave Ildefonso chipped in 11 apiece for SGA, which led by as many as 37 points.
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Strong Group, which improved to 5-0 in the tournament, takes on world No. 36 Tunisia. Tunisia turned back Amman United in their quarterfinal matchup, in the semis set on Saturday.
READ: Strong Group remains unscathed in Dubai after win over Beirut
“The semifinals are what really matter now. We have a tough matchup against the Tunisian national team, which is playing like a well-oiled machine,” said Tiu.
Strong Group was locked in from the get-go and zoomed to a 24-12 advantage before taking a commanding 31-16 lead at the end of the opening period.
Nick West paced Sharjah with 19 points and seven rebounds, while former NLEX import DeQuan Jones had 18 points and six boards.
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