MIGHTY SPORTS Philippines completed a sweep of its group assignment at the 31st Dubai International Basketball Tournament after defeating Beirut Sports Club, 91-77, early Wednesday morning, time here in Manila.
Filipino-American Mikey Williams led the charge of Mighty Sports as they bucked early struggles and turned things around in the second half to beat the Beirut team and advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament which begins Thursday.
The win pushed Mighty Sports to a 4-0 record in Group B, the lone undefeated squad in the grouping.
Mighty Sports found itself having it tight early against Beirut Sports Club, with the latter keeping the former at bay in each of the first two quarters.
Beirut Sports Club held a 37-36 advantage at the break.
In the third quarter, however, Mighty Sports would explode, outgunning its opponent, 33-17, to take a 15-point lead heading into the final frame.
Beirut Sports Club tried to make a comeback in the payoff quarter but the Philippine side was steady in its attack, never allowing its lead to go down below 10 points en route to the victory.
Mr. Williams top-scored for his team with 22 points, going 6-of-8 from three-point land.
Renaldo Balkman backstopped him with 20 points while Andray Blatche had all-around numbers of 12 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.
McKenzie Moore and Jamie Malonzo also scored double-digits for the Charles Tiu-coached squad with 14 and 10 points, respectively.
Jerom Johnson paced Beirut Sports Club with 30 points and nine rebounds.
In the quarterfinals, Mighty Sports will face the number four team in Group A, which was to be known after the final group play matches yesterday. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
