Mighty Sports-Phl succumbs to Lebanon

MANILA, Philippines - Mighty Sports-Philippines took another heartbreaker, bowing to Sagese of Lebanon, 92-95, in the Dubai International Basketball Championship at the Dubai Indoor Stadium in Dubai Sunday night.

Like in its 82-84 defeat to Egypt national team Saturday, Mighty Sports blew its chance to force overtime as Beau Belga’s potential game-tying three fell short to the disappointment of the big Filipino crowd.

The loss, its third straight, sent Mighty Sports on the brink of elimination. It will face the fancied Homenetmen on today before going up against early semifinalist Al Riyadi tomorrow. The two teams are two of Lebanon’s well-decorated squads.

While Mighty Sports improved on its outside shooting, it still struggled defensively, enabling prolific American import Terrell Stoglin to erupt for 46 points. The shifty guard spiked his season-high output with nine triples, negating Kiefer Ravena’s impressive 25-point performance. 

The crowd went wild after Chris Tiu buried his second triple to give Mighty Sports a 78-71 lead early in the fourth.