Philippines’ Strong Group Athletics Sweep Elimination Round with 5-0 Record
Philippine basketball team Strong Group Athletics (SGA) advances to 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championship quarterfinals after 5-0 sweep in elimination round.
Strong Group Athletics narrowly avoided an upset from Al Ahly Tripoli to maintain their unbeaten record in the tournament and successfully sweep their group. The Filipino team relied on the impressive performance of Jordan Heading, a sharpshooter from Gilas Pilipinas.
Heading spearheaded the Pinoy squad’s offensive efforts, contributing 19 points and five assists in a hard-fought 91-89 victory over the Libyan team. Despite Al Ahly Tripoli starting strong in the first quarter, outscoring SGA 27-20, Strong Group bounced back, particularly fueled by Heading’s five three-pointers.
The second half remained intensely competitive, with Al Ahly Tripoli narrowing the lead to single digits after a six-point run. The last basket for Tripoli resulted from a turnover by Heading, leading to a steal and a jumper by Nicholas West. With just 31 seconds left, SGA held a slim lead of 89-88.
Al Ahli Tripoli had two opportunities to tie the game but missed their shots. Wajdi Omran Dawo managed to convert only one of two free throws with less than a second remaining.
Heading concluded the game with a total of 19 points, including five successful three-pointers, while Kevin Quiambao and Dwight Howard each contributed 17 points. Strong Group Athletics completed Group B with an unblemished record of 5-0 and is set to face their quarterfinal opponents on Friday, January 26, Philippine time.
“That was an unbelievable game, incredible effort by Libya, and just like Dwight (Howard) said in our huddle, that game is all about grit, all about effort. We’re all tired, fifth game in six days, and we just got that one out.” the Australian-born 6-foot-2 guard said after the game in a Facebook reel posted by Strong Group.
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