Mighty Sports' convincing 91-76 win over Homenetmen Lebanon secured them third place in the 30th Dubai International Basketball Championship on Sunday.
Jett Manuel set the tone early, dropping eight of his team-high 19 points in the opening period. Randolph Morris and Roosevelt Adams combined for 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Justin Brownlee, who hurt his knee before the semifinals, had 10 points, four rebounds, six assists and two steals, while Lamar Odom finished with eight points on 2-of-6 shooting. Odom also had five rebounds and the same number of assists to cap his stint with the Philippine team that registered its best finish in the league.
It was a tight opening quarter. The Philippine side created separation in the second, but it was in the third period where the Filipino dribblers broke the game open.
Jeremiah Gray opened the period with back-to-back baskets. Odom would munch a pair of free throws almost two minutes later before Manuel scored on a layup to give the team a 17-point buffer, 67-50.
Mighty Sports seized control from there. Homenetmen, whom the Filipinos beat in the group stage, couldn't muster enough energy to mount a comeback. They got only to as close as 14 points in the fourth period.
Jerar Hadidan paced the Lebanese side with 23 points, eight rebounds and two steals. Elias Rustom added 20 points, grabbed eight boards and dished out four assists while turning the ball over only once in close to 30 minutes of action.
Eli Estefan chipped in 10 points and five rebounds. Walter Munoz, who exploded for 42 points the last time these teams met, played only for a little over a minute and wound up scoreless.
Last year, the country's representatives from San Beda University, led by PBA rookie Robert Bolick, failed to register a single victory.
Mighty Sports had an undefeated run before bowing to Al Riyadi of Lebanon in the semifinals, 89-84.
THE SCORES
Mighty Sports 91: Manuel 19, Morris 11, Brownlee 10, Adams 10, Odom 8, De Liano 7, Gray 7, Santillan 6, Rike 6, Gutang 4, Banal 3, Brickman 0.
Homentmen 76: Hadidan 23, Rustom 20, Estafan 10, Zeinoun 5, Aboud 4, Kilijian 4, Bedikan 3, Ziada 2, Ketenjian 0, Jeyan 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 42-34, 67-54, 91-76.