The Manila Chooks and Cebu Chooks squads captured victories in contrasting styles at the start of the 2022 Ulaanbaatar FIBA 3x3 Super Quest on Friday at the at UB Palace in Mongolia.
In the opener of Pool B, Dennis Santos scored the winner, pushing Manila Chooks to a 21-20 win over Zaisan MMC Energy. Down by 17-20 with 1:24 remaining, Cebuano Ron Dennison was fouled while attempting a deuce, and made both of his freebies to cut the lead down to one.
Wily vet Chico Lanete then scored on a layup on the other end to tie things up. After a defensive stop, Santos drove from the baseline, scoring on a tough lay-in for the winner with 27.1 ticks remaining.
Santos ended up with five points while Lanete added six.
Henry Iloka, who twisted his right ankle with 4:08 left in the game but eventually returned a minute later, had six points and 10 rebounds.
Cebu Chooks, meanwhile, stamped its class on Amgalan MMC Energy with a 21-10 victory for a share of early leadership in Pool A.
Mac Tallo put Cebu in a comfortable position early, powering the squad to a 12-2 start and never looking back.
Tallo ended up with 10 points and four rebounds while Zach Huang chipped in five points. Nzeusseu and Ramirez both had three markers each as well. (JNP)