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| Lamar Odom was victorious in his first basketball game in five years. Bryan Olivan/Mighty Sports (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA—Mighty Sports-Philippines began its campaign in the Dubai International Basketball Championship on a high note, trampling the American University in Dubai, 87-58, at the Al-Ahli Club in Dubai early Saturday (Philippine Time).
It was a smooth sailing for the Filipino squad despite the short practice period they had before the tourney, shutting down AUD from start to finish and even taking a lead as high as 35 points.
The victory gave Mighty Sports a huge boost ahead of its showdown with the national team of the United Arab Emirates later Saturday.
Justin Brownlee put 17 points and six rebounds to lead Mighty Sports, which looks to redeem itself from its lowly stint in 2017.
Jeremiah Gray added 15 points on seven made field goals out of nine, including highlight reel slams, while Randolph Morris chipped in 14 points.
Jett Manuel was the top local for the Charles Tiu-mentored squad, making 12 markers.
Lamar Odom announced his return to professional basketball play by tallying four points and seven rebounds for Mighty Sports.
Mahmoud Trab scored 20 points and seven caroms for AUD.
Box Scores:
Mighty Sports 87 – Brownlee 17, Gray 15, Morris 14, Manuel 12, Banal 8, Adams 7, Odom 4, Santillan 4, Gomez de Liano 4, Wongchuking 2, Gutang 0, Yeo 0.
AUD 58 – Trab 20, Mbengue 10, Faroug 8, Morgan 6, Johnson 5, Bin Khatam 3, Farah 2, Albreiki 2, Ferns 2, Mohammed 0, El Ali 0
Quarterscores: 23-9, 47-20, 68-37, 87-58
Follow him on Twitter: @IvanSaldajeno
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