Strong Group’s hopes of a ‘three-peat’ in the William Jones Cup will go down to the final day of the competition.
Strong Group took care of business with a 113-87 revenge win over KBL team Wonju DB on Wednesday at Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
With the win, Strong Group now shares the lead in the standings with Wonju DB, with both teams sporting identical 4-1 records. However, Wonju DB holds the quotient advantage after its 110-79 victory over Strong Group on opening day.
The organizers of the 45th edition of the Jones Cup allocated an automatic semifinal spot to Chinese Taipei Blue, a provision that was only revealed to the participating teams upon their arrival in Taiwan.
Chinese Taipei Blue currently holds a 1-3 record.
“This one really hurts. It’s rare to win a game and still feel disappointed. We were so close. We prepared well and really gave ourselves a chance to win, but the 32-point margin was just too much for us to overcome. I can’t sing enough praises for our team and the way we fought in this game. We played some really good basketball,” said Strong Group head coach Charles Tiu.
“Even the Korean coach (Lee Kyu-seop) was complaining about how bad the format of the tournament is. If only we knew from the start that this was the format, then for sure things would have been different.”
SGA took immediate control behind a disciplined first quarter, converting all eight of its free-throw attempts and using a 7-0 run to build a 26-17 lead.
The Philippine side turned up the defensive intensity in the second period, extending its lead to 35-22 before pulling away to a 45-25 advantage with 3:22 remaining in the first half.
SGA pushed its lead to as high as 28 points at 95-67 in the second half, coming within three points of the elusive 31-point target needed to overcome Wonju DB’s quotient advantage.
However, foul trouble dealt a major blow to the frontline as big men Isaiah Piñeiro and Tajuan Agee both fouled out down the stretch.
The final two minutes turned into a high-stakes shootout between SGA sniper Matthew Wright and DB Promy star guard Ethan Alvano.
Wright finished with 21 points on 7-of-11 shooting from beyond the arc in an aggressive bid to stretch the lead, while Alvano answered on the other end to keep the final margin within 26 points.
Agee finished with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Ian Miller added 19 points. Boban Marjanovic chipped in 10 points, while DJ Fenner and Remy Martin contributed 16 and 12 points, respectively.
“We’ve lost one game in three years, and deep down, we know we are the best team in the tournament,” said Tiu. “We needed a miracle, and we came very close. Proud of the effort.”
Now, Strong Group will hope for winless Japan to defeat Wonju DB on Thursday while it takes care of business against Chinese Taipei Blue to secure a spot in the semifinals.
