Mighty-PH sweeps touted Lebanon five for 3rd place

DUBAI—Mighty Sports-Philippines repeated over reigning Lebanon league titlist Homenetmen, 91-76, on Saturday night to finish third overall in the 30th Dubai International Basketball Championships at Shabab Al Ahli Club gymnasium here.

Former Ginebra stalwart Jett Manuel saved his best for last with a team-high 19 points, making all his seven attempts inside as Mighty-PH bounced back from a painful 89-84 loss to fancied Al Riyadi-Lebanon in the knockout semifinal round the other night.

More importantly, the accessories and apparel team backed by SMDC, HealthCube, Go for Gold and Oriental Game closed out its campaign in the nine-day, 10-team invitational tournament on a strong note, a marked improvement from its woeful one-win showing on its tournament debut in 2017.

“Overall, I think the stint was a successful campaign,” said Mighty Sports coach Charles Tiu.

Randolph Morris finished with 11 points while top gun Justin Brownlee and Roosevelt Adams added 10 points each, but it was former Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom who put on the finishing touches in a relatively easy windup.

The 6-foot-10 Odom racked up eight points, five rebounds, two assists and a block. He nailed a triple for a comfortable 83-64 advantage with less than three minutes to play.