Strong Group, despite seeing its two-year reign as William Jones Cup champions come to an end in controversial fashion, held its head high by beating Jordan’s national team, 96-91, to finish the 45th edition of the tournament in “fifth place” on Friday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
Strong Group ended its campaign with a 6-1 record, going 5-1 in the group stage to finish second due to Wonju DB’s superior quotient.
However, Chinese Taipei Blue was guaranteed a spot in the semifinals by the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association despite finishing the group stage with a 1-5 record.
Despite the predicament, Strong Group still respected the game and played through the fifth-place match.
It was a tight affair, with Strong Group trailing by seven, 63-56, midway through the third quarter before cutting the deficit to one, 80-79, early in the final frame.
Ian Miller scored on a drive with 6:29 left for the go-ahead basket, sparking a 13-4 run with Isaiah Pineiro and Titing Manalili also making key contributions.
Manalili’s strong drive with 1:41 remaining gave Strong Group a 94-85 lead, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Despite the circumstances, Strong Group president Jacob Lao remained grateful for the overwhelming support the team received from Filipino and Taiwanese fans throughout its three-year run.
“We may not have won the three-peat due to ‘circumstances’ we did not foresee, but the outpouring of support we received from both the Filipino and Taiwanese fans was more than enough for us. In the eyes of many, this team is the real champions, and that means a lot to us,” said Lao.
“Maraming salamat to everyone who stood by Strong Group throughout the past three years. Now, it’s time for us to reassess our program, learn from this experience, and make it stronger moving forward.”
Boban Marjanovic, who averaged 9.7 points in the group stage, turned in his best game of the tournament with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting, along with eight rebounds.
Tajuan Agee added 17 points and four rebounds, while Matthew Wright and Miller chipped in 15 points apiece. DJ Fenner contributed 11 points.
Manalili, who played just 11 minutes, finished with six points and four assists.
Hadi Alhami paced Jordan with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Abdullah Olajuwon, the son of NBA great Hakeem Olajuwon, added 18 points.
The Scores:
Strong Group 96 – Marjanovic 21, Agee 17, Wright 15, Miller 15, Fenner 11, Pineiro 7, Manalili 6, Ildefonso D. 2, Diouf 2, Navarro 0.
Jordan 91 – Alshami 21, Olajuwon 18, Saleh 12, Abuhawwas 11, Mustaga 11, Hussein 11, Salman 4, Kanaan 3, Kilani 0, Dwiek 0.
Quarterscores: 27-24, 50-48, 71-74, 96-91.
