Zamboanga Valientes stun Beirut Club, exit Dubai tiff on high note

MANILA, Philippines – MLV-Zamboanga Valientes ended their stint in the 35th Dubai International Basketball Championship on a high note, stunning defending champion Sports Club Beirut, 83-72, on Wednesday, January 28 (Thursday, January 29, Philippine time) at Al Nasr Club’s Sheik Rashid Bin Hamdan Hall in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Powered by the towering Sam Deguara and back-in-form Terrence Romeo, the Valientes surged ahead, 61-49, late in the third quarter, then fended off the Lebanese’s repeated rallies to tally their first and only win after three losses in the 10-team, six-nation tournament.

The 7-foot-6 Deguara posted 21 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block, while Romeo — a three-time PBA scoring champion — notched 20 points, including 4 triples, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds to prevent a winless campaign for the Valientes.

Former top NBA draftee Anthony Bennett also delivered with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 1 assist, and so did 2023 UAAP MVP Malick Diouf (8 points and 7 rebounds) and Zamboangueño Bryan Manuel (8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists).

Greg Slaughter, Vic Manuel, and Kevin Ebona contributed 4 points each for the Valientes, who bettered their 0-4 showing in last year’s contest.

Zamboangueño Forthsky Padrigao, the Valientes’ top scorer with 25 points in their 103-110 setback to Libya’s Al Ahli Tripoli the day prior, was held scoreless this time.

With the 6-foot-11 Diouf and the 6-foot-8 Bennett clogging the lane, the Valientes erected a decisive 56-29 edge off the boards, compensating for the 22 turnovers they committed.

Zamboanga team owner Junnie Navarro believes the Valientes could have done better had they not had limited time to jell and get into shape.

Sports Club Beirut, which dropped to 2-2 in Group B, drew 19 points and 14 points, respectively, from American reinforcements Albert James English and Traevon Jackson.

Club Africain of Tunisia and Al-Ahly Tripoli topped Group B with 3-1 records. The UAE national team swept Group A with a 4-0 card.

The Valientes lost to Club Africain, 77-96, in the opener on Monday, January 26, and to Syria’s Al-Karamah, 92-90, in overtime on Tuesday, January 27. – Rappler.com