By Adrian Stewart Co

Mighty Sports-Philippines survived a tough challenge from Syria’s Al Wahda Club to score an 85-81 win in the 30th Dubai International Championship yesterday at the Shabab Al-Ahli Club in Dubai, UAE.

Justin Brownlee bucked knee pain and dizziness to finish with 27 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and two steals for the Philippine squad; while fellow import Randolph Morris added 19 points, six boards, three assists, two blocks, and one steal.

Filipino-American Roosevelt Adams also came up with impressive numbers, scoring 21 points, including four triples, along with seven rebounds and two steals.

Unlike their previous three matches, the Philippines was trailing for most of the game and were down 76-70 with four minutes left in the game following a basket from Al Wahda’s Jordan Adams.

The Philippines then made its move with Adams draining four straight points and Morris converting from the free throw line for a deadlock. They later seized the lead on a Brownlee triple.

The Philippine representatives went on to score five more points, completing a 14-0 run, and kicking the Syrian squad to second place in the group.

“I’m just happy with the win,” Mighty Sports-Philippines head coach Charles Tiu said. “Earlier, I told the team that we still haven’t faced adversity and, when the time comes, we have to stick together – today, we faced a lot of adversity.”

As the top seed in its group, the Philippines enters the knockout quarterfinals against the yet-to-be-determined fourth seed of the other bracket, which will be either an Iraqi or Moroccan club./ASC, WDJ