Strong Group escapes Homenetmen, cruises to third victory

STRONG Group Athletics may have dodged a bullet after defeating the Homenetmen squad 104-95 on Monday morning to go unbeaten in three games at the Dubai International Basketball Championships.

This has been the most difficult assignment for the Philippine club squad thus far, since they trailed throughout the entirety of the game. The Homenetmen team was on fire, shooting the lights out of Strong Group.

Dwight Howard, however, erupted for 32 points and seven rebounds to lead the Philippine team to a hard-fought victory over former Meralco import Zach Lofton’s Lebanon squad.

Kevin Quiambao, the reigning UAAP MVP, started the game with three points and a putback slam, picking up where he left off the previous game.

Photo Courtesy: UAE Basketball Association | Facebook

But Lebanon’s Homenetmen, with its strong intensity, played a significantly more physical game than the first two teams SGA faced. At the end of the first quarter, the Philippine club team trailed 24-15.

During the second quarter, Strong Group was able to gradually speed up their tempo, scoring a couple more baskets to cut the deficit. The Lebanese matched it with their hot shooting.

Homenetmen forced them to overcommit, resulting in foul shots for SGA. The Philippine club squad capitalized on this but Dewayne Jackson made a three to conclude the first half with SGA still down 48-42.

Strong Group gained the lead in the third quarter, 56-54, thanks to a fastbreak pass from Quiambao to an open Jordan Heading with 5:02 remaining.

Before the end of the third quarter, the Homenetmen went on a run that trimmed the Philippine team’s 7-point lead. Strong Group then finished the third quarter with a slender 71-67 lead over the physical Lebanese squad.

The Homenetmen regained the lead with six quick baskets in the fourth quarter but Andray Blatche, a former Gilas Pilipinas naturalized player, stopped the bleeding with a much-needed three-pointer to make it 74-73.

Blatche, who struggled to find his rhythm throughout the game, caught fire late, hitting three more from beyond the arc for an 87-79 lead with less than five minutes remaining. 

Photo Courtesy: UAE Basketball Association | Facebook

Lofton carried the Lebanese team and established himself as the team’s primary guy. The talented shooting guard was hitting basket after basket, keeping their team within striking distance.

However, Quiambao added the frosting on the cake with a clutch three, giving Strong Group a 99-91 lead over a hot shooting Homenetmen team.

On the next possession, Jackson nailed a crucial three-pointer for the Lebanese team. McKenzie Moore, on the other hand, had different intentions, hitting a basket with a foul to maintain an 8-point lead, 102-94, with 48.7 seconds remaining.

Quiambao matched Howard’s outstanding performance with his own 19 points while Blatche scored 18 points on 6-of-10 shooting from downtown, six rebounds and four assists.

Andre Roberson had 13 points and eight rebounds while Moore had 12. Strong Group beat Homenetmen 29-19 in a crucial third-quarter offensive run to seize control of the game.

Lofton, on the other side, dominated in offense for the Lebanese squad, scoring 37 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists. Lebanese forward Gerard Hadidian contributed 21 points and seven rebounds.

American import Eli Holman scored 18 points while hustler Jackson added 16, all in a losing effort as Homenetmen fell to 0-2 in the group stage.

Meanwhile, Strong Group improved to 3-0 before taking a two-day vacation. On Wednesday, they will face another Lebanese team in Beirut Sports Club, hoping for their fourth consecutive win.