Strong Group put on a spectacular shooting display to overpower Japan, 107-86, and secure its third straight victory in the 2026 William Jones Cup in Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City on Tuesday.
The Filipinos are starting to click, with Remy Martin scoring 13 points with five rebounds and three assists, DJ Fenner finishing with 12 points, and Matthew Wright adding 10 points as Strong Group improved to 3-1 and took solo second place in Pool A.
After yielding a 31-28 advantage to Japan in the opening quarter, the Philippine representatives completely flipped the switch on the offensive end.
Strong Group unleashed a massive 33-14 run in the second period to take a 61-45 halftime lead before blowing the game wide open with a blistering 17-0 run in the second half.
“Good win, again. Continuing to play better as a team. We went up by as much as 30 and are starting to get in shape for Promy. Now we have to find a way to beat them. Pineiro and Agee were great for us today,” said head coach Charles Tiu.
The team’s execution was nothing short of surgical, as Strong Group shot 55.9 percent from the field, including an elite 64.1 percent from inside the arc.
Isaiah Pineiro spearheaded the attack with a game-high 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting, while also grabbing five rebounds.
Tajuan Agee was a massive difference-maker off the bench, tallying 15 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks while finishing with a game-high plus-33 rating.
Strong Group’s perimeter shooting also caught fire, as the Filipinos knocked down 13 of their 29 attempts from beyond the arc for a 44.8 percent clip.
Wakugawa Hayato led Japan with 26 points on five triples while Arai Gakuto added 17.
Strong Group now sets its sights on ultimate redemption as it looks to secure the top seed against KBL team Wonju DB Promy, the same club that handed the Filipinos a 110-79 beating on opening day.
The Scores:
Strong Group 107 — Pineiro 25, Agee 15, Martin 13, Fenner Jr. 12, Miller 12, Wright 10, Manalili 9, Marjanovic 7, Navarro 4, Ildefonso D. 0, Diouf 0, Ildefonso S. 0.
Japan 86 — Wakugawa 26, Arai 17, Ozawa 10, Matsumoto 9, Nakamura 7, Tanaka 5, Buto 5, Hiraiwa 4, Igwe 2, Sakai 1, Hirose 0, Kon 0.
Quarterscores: 28-31, 61-45, 87-60, 107-86.
