Philippines-Mighty Sports solidified their grip on the 38th William Jones Cup’s top spot after dominating Japan, 87-66, to post their fourth straight victory in four outings, Wednesday night in Taiwan.
The Philippines rocketed to a great start in the game’s curtain-raiser, with the trio of Al Thornton, Dewarick Spencer, and Zach Graham exercising early offense to dominate the Japanese, 17-5, with 3:58 in the quarter. Japan tried to catch up, but Mighty Sports’ defense, particularly Hamady N’Diaye’s presence inside, made them skeptical of executing dribble-drive sets starting from attacks inside. With Mike Singletary and Tyrone Tang joining the scoring fray, the Philippines ended the first ten minutes of action up by 16, 28-12.
With Vernon Macklin exploiting Japan’s weak rim defense through strong drives, and with Graham, Spencer, and Brickman backing him up with the scoring load, Mighty Sports were able to post a 25-point lead in the following quarter, 40-15, nineteen seconds approaching the five-minute mark. The Philippines played excellently on both ends, not allowing Japan within striking distance. Japan were evidently outplayed, having scored only nine in the frame. The first half wrapped up in favor of the team in white with a commanding 50-21 lead.
Japan displayed a warrior’s poise in the third canto, notching up their defense to shackle Mighty Sports. Still down by 29, 57-28, with less than seven minutes remaining, the Japanese maximized their ability to wax hot from the perimeter — since the lanes were clogged by the taller Mighty Sports — to inch within 19, 64-45, with 2:29 on the clock. However, the Philippines, with Singletary and Graham conspiring on offense, halted their run and managed to conclude the quarter with a 23-point, 70-47 cushion.
Three-point shots kept Japan alive as they opened the deciding chapter with back-to-back treys to trim the deficit to 18, 70-52, in the game’s last 8:54. The Philippines, with their strong, quick cuts to the basket, still sustained their dominance over Japan as they re-established another twenty-plus lead, 84-57, anchored by Filipinos Sunday Salvacion and Larry Rodriguez, with less than three minutes left. Japan continued to sink triples, but Mighty Sports still prevailed in the end to notch their fourth straight win, 87-66.
Four players hit the double-digit scoring to lead Philippines. Graham led the way with 15 points, Spencer had 14, while Thornton and Macklin each had 11 markers. Takayuki Nishikawa paced Japan with 20 points.
Mighty Sports (4-0) will face India tomorrow, July 28, at 1PM.
Quarter scores:
28-12, 50-21, 70-47, 87-66.
