SINGAPORE--Mighty Sports began its Merlion Cup campaign on a high note, beating Seoul, 92-87, at the OCBC Arena on Wednesday night.
The PCBL powerhouse and reigning Jones Cup champion bounced back from a poor start and subdued the KBL side coached by former South Korean national team star Lee Sang-Min, who became known to the Filipinos for his game-winning triple in the semifinals of the 2002 Asian Games against the Philippine team in Busan.
Seoul, known by the moniker Thunders, raced to a 33-21 lead in the first half, but Mighty slowly recovered and eventually took the lead in the third quarter, 66-61.
Seoul still put up a gallant stand, even retaking the lead, setting up a wild finish.
Mighty pulled away after going on a crucial 9-2 run late in the fourth to seal the win.
Former NBA player and NLEX import Al Thornton fired 35 points, while Senegalese national team player and former Mahindra import hamady N'Diaye added 16, while Jones Cup MVP Dewarick Spencer chipped in 15.
Kiefer Ravena, who previously played for Mighty in the PCBL before going to the United States for training, signaled his return to his former club by a huge triple that highlighted Mighty's game-turning rally before finishing with eight markers.
Mighty will next face defending ABL champion Malaysia on Friday night at the said venue.
Malaysia, also known as the Dragons, once played in the PBA D-League under the Blu Detergent brand.
Follow the site on Twitter: @DugoutPH
The PCBL powerhouse and reigning Jones Cup champion bounced back from a poor start and subdued the KBL side coached by former South Korean national team star Lee Sang-Min, who became known to the Filipinos for his game-winning triple in the semifinals of the 2002 Asian Games against the Philippine team in Busan.
Seoul, known by the moniker Thunders, raced to a 33-21 lead in the first half, but Mighty slowly recovered and eventually took the lead in the third quarter, 66-61.
Seoul still put up a gallant stand, even retaking the lead, setting up a wild finish.
Mighty pulled away after going on a crucial 9-2 run late in the fourth to seal the win.
Former NBA player and NLEX import Al Thornton fired 35 points, while Senegalese national team player and former Mahindra import hamady N'Diaye added 16, while Jones Cup MVP Dewarick Spencer chipped in 15.
Kiefer Ravena, who previously played for Mighty in the PCBL before going to the United States for training, signaled his return to his former club by a huge triple that highlighted Mighty's game-turning rally before finishing with eight markers.
Mighty will next face defending ABL champion Malaysia on Friday night at the said venue.
Malaysia, also known as the Dragons, once played in the PBA D-League under the Blu Detergent brand.
Follow the site on Twitter: @DugoutPH