Strong Group’s Chris McCullough dunks during a game in the Dubai International Basketball Championship.–SGA PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — Strong Group Athletics remained unbeaten while fellow Philippine side Zamboanga Valientes had a losing debut in the Dubai International Basketball Championship on Sunday (Manila) at Al Nasr Club.
Strong Group dominated home bet Al Nasr, 99-87, leaning on Chris McCullough anew as the American erupted for 31 points.
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McCullough shot 12-of-16 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds in 30 minutes off the bench. The locals also stepped up with Mikey Williams, Dave Ildefonso, and Jason Brickman also shining in the victory.
SCHEDULE: Strong Group, Valientes at Dubai Basketball Championship 2025
Williams delivered 16 points and four assists.,Ildefonso had 13 points and four rebounds, while Brickman added nine points and six assists.
Former NBA players Demarcus Cousins and Malachi Richardson saw limited action but chipped in identical numbers with eight points, four rebounds, and three assists as Strong Group improved to 2-0.
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SGA led as many as 27 points with McCullough’s three-point play making it a 67-40 spread midway through the third quarter and kept the home team at bay until the final whistle.
Al Nasr banked on Harat Mohammed’s 34 points, seven rebounds, and three assists as well as Marvelle Harris, who had 30 points and seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, Zamboanga Valientes opened its Dubai tilt with a 97-82 loss to Al Sharjah, failing to sustain its strong first quarter, where the Filipinos led as many as 15 points.
READ: Strong Group holds off UAE national team in Dubai opener
Mohamed Asad capped Al Sharjah’s 16-0 run in the fourth to lead Zamboanga, 81-72, with 3:52 remaining to complete their strong second-half surge.
The Valientes trailed by 11 points entering the fourth quarter but they refused to give up and trim the deficit to five, 75-70, after Forthsky Padrigao’s triple with six minutes to go before Al Sharjah caught fire and made their biggest run to lead as many as 21 points.
Zamboanga’s 7-foot-6 import Sam Deguara had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Tolomia delivered 14 points and five assists, while Adonis Thomas and Padrigao added 13 points each.
Prince Caperal had 11 points and four rebounds, while Kyt Jimenez added seven points and five rebounds from the bench.
Nicholas West lifted Al Sharjah with 30 points and nine rebounds. DeQuan Jones chipped in 29 points.
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Zamboanga seeks bounce back against Al Ahli Tripoli on Sunday, while Strong Group eyes its third win against Beirut First.
