SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – Big-time players make big-time plays.
Chris McCullough and Kiefer Ravena came through the clutch for Strong Group-Pilipinas as they completed a gutsy 82-74 comeback win over Ukraine on Monday, July 15, to remain unscathed in the 2024 William Jones Cup at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
With Ukraine threatening to pull away with a five-point lead with under three minutes left, 72-67, Ravena knocked down a cold-blooded pull-up triple to cut the deficit to just a single possession.
After a crucial stop by Strong Group in the ensuing play, McCullough then took it upon himself and completed a tough and-one play to give the Filipinos the lead, 73-72.
The former San Miguel super import McCullough did not stop there as he delivered another crucial basket, this time from long distance, to put Strong Group ahead by 4 points, 76-72, with just 1:05 to play.
McCullough capped off his personal 8-0 run with two free throws to give Strong Group a 78-72 edge, before Jordan Heading and Ravena put Ukraine away for good with two foul shots each in the endgame.
For the third straight contest, McCullough led Strong Group in scoring with a game-high 28 points to go with 6 rebounds and 2 assists.
McCullough previously dropped 15 points in Strong Group’s 25-point opening-day thrashing of United Arab Emirates on Saturday, July 13, followed by a 23-point performance in their 91-69 beatdown of Australia’s BSBL Guardians on Sunday, July 14.
Heading finished with 24 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc, while Ravena had 10 markers – all coming in the final frame.
A former Gilas Pilipinas gunner, Heading was unconscious in the opening period as he scored 18 of Strong Group’s 27 first-quarter points on a perfect 7-of-7 field goal clip.
Anatolly Shundel paced the feisty Ukrainians with 17 points, while Rostyslav Novitskyi added 11 points.
Ukraine wasted a nine-point cushion it built early in the third quarter, 52-43, after trailing by 2 points at halftime, 41-43.
Strong Group gets a much-needed one-day break before it takes on Malaysia at 5 pm on Wednesday, July 17.
The Scores
Strong Group 82 – McCullough 28, Heading 24, Ravena 10, Kouame 9, Agee 7, Fenner 2, Tiongson 1, Abarrientos 1, Ildefonso 0, Chiu 0, Abando 0.
Ukraine 74 – Shundel 17, Novitskyl 12, Antypov 11, Kobzystyl 10, Krutous 10, Konlev 8, Kozak 3, Serhelev 3, Koshevatskyl 0, Lesyk 0.
Quarters: 27-21, 43-41, 54-58, 82-74.
– Rappler.com
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