Photo credit: ABL | abl.basketball
Hong Kong Eastern (8-3) defeated the Philippines representative Zamboanga Valientes MLV (5-6), 83-55 in the third leg of the 2023 ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) Invitational tournament on Tuesday, February at the MABA Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Hong Kong import Christopher John Mclaughlin led the Eastern with a double-double of 17 points (8/10fg) to go with 19 rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block while 36-year old American guard O'Darien Bassett with a solid game of 18 points, four rebounds and six assists.
Veteran guard Rudy Lingganay was the only local player to finish in double figures with 14 points for the Valientes. Zamboanga struggled from the floor by shooting a woeful 25 percent (16/63) including 8-of-27 from beyond the arc. The Valientes missed the services of their former import and Valientes top scorer Antonio Hester (avg.: 24.6PTS, 9.8REB, 3.9AST) as he flies back to Manila to reinforce the Magnolia Hotshots in the PBA.
Former two-time NBA champion Mario Chalmers paced the Valientes in the losing effort with 19 points (5/15fg, 3/7 3pts, 6/8ft) along with 3 rebounds, 3 rebounds and 2 assists in 29 minutes of play. Jeremy Arthur scored 6 points on 1-of-6 shooting and 4 rebounds while James Kuwekuteye added 5 points (2/8fg, 1/4 3pts), two rebounds, two assists, one steal and a block.
Next leg is on February 12–17 in Ho Chi Minh City. Valientes will face Indonesia's Louvre Surabaya on Monday, February 13 at the Nguyen Du Arena in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The Scores:
HONGKONG EASTERN 83 – Bassett 18, McLaughlin 17, Gilbert 13, Trocha Morelos 13, Leung 4, O Xu 4, De Villa 4, Pok 3, Chan 3, A Xu 2, Sheikh 2, Veloso 0.
ZAMBOANGA VALIENTES 55 - Chalmers 19, Lingganay 14, Arthur 6, Kuwekuteye 5, Sesay 4, Belorio 3, Amores 2, Ferrer 2, Cawaling 0, Bernardo 0, Esa 0.
Quarters: 22-19, 44-26, 59-42, 83-55. [GAME STATS] | [GAME HIGHLIGHTS] | [Buy PBA Jersey]
Zamboanga Valientes vs. Hong Kong (VIDEO)