- Strong Group's Import Trio Leads to Victory in Dubai Debut
- McCullough, Cousins, and Richardson Shine as Strong Group Conquers UAE
- Strong Group Overcomes Slow Start to Defeat UAE in Dubai Opener
Dubai, UAE - Strong Group-Philippines kicked off their 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship campaign with a hard-fought 99-91 victory over a determined UAE National Team. The star-studded trio of imports, Chris McCullough, DeMarcus Cousins, and Malachi Richardson, powered the team to an early lead in Group A.
McCullough, fresh off his MVP performance in the 2024 William Jones Cup, led the scoring with 28 points and added 6 rebounds. Four-time NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins made an impactful debut with 24 points on efficient shooting, while former NBA player Malachi Richardson contributed 21 points and 5 rebounds.
Despite the win, head coach Charles Tiu emphasized the need for improvement. "Ugly first win for us over the revamped UAE national team," Tiu commented on social media. "Good to get the rust out of the way in our very first game as a team. We will definitely come out much better tomorrow."
The game was a tight affair for the first three quarters. Strong Group finally created separation in the fourth, igniting a 13-0 run fueled by back-to-back threes from McCullough and Richardson. Reigning NCAA MVP Allen Liwag also contributed crucial baskets during the surge.
UAE refused to go down quietly, mounting a late comeback attempt that cut the deficit to six points with just over two minutes remaining. However, clutch baskets from Rhenz Abando and a powerful dunk by McCullough sealed the victory for Strong Group.
"We’re still in the process of familiarizing ourselves as a team," admitted Tiu, "but we’ve been through this before and will become more cohesive as the tournament progresses.”
Strong Group will look to build on this opening win when they face Al Nasr on January 26th. With their impressive import trio and a talented supporting cast, they are determined to make a strong run in this year's Dubai International Basketball Championship.
0 Comments