Strong Group Athletics-Philippines extended its unbeaten run in the William Jones Cup to 5-0 with a dominant 107-75 win over Chinese Taipei-White.
Strong Group Athletics continued its unbeaten run in the 44th William Jones Cup with a resounding 107-75 demolition of Chinese Taipei-White on Thursday night, July 18, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
Bouncing back from a quiet outing against Australia, Tajuan Agee torched the hosts with 25 points on a near-flawless 10-of-12 shooting clip, adding six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block—all in under 16 minutes of play.
His early outburst set the tone for SGA’s most dominant performance yet in the tournament.
“Played great today. Guys were locked in from the start,” said head coach Charles Tiu. “Tajuan Agee was great and dominated them from the start. Best offensive basketball for us.”
SGA took control early with a 39-24 opening salvo, then broke the game wide open with a 22-9 run to end the half, fueled by Agee’s 11-point blitz. The Philippine squad entered halftime with a commanding 61-33 lead and never looked back.
The game also marked a turnaround in the team’s perimeter shooting. After struggling from three-point range in their previous outings, Strong Group finally clicked from distance, sinking 14-of-31 triples or 45.2% and dishing out 27 assists.
“We are getting better every game,” added Tiu. “It was a satisfying performance.”
With Agee, Andre Roberson, Ange Kouame, and DJ Fenner sitting out the second half, Tiu turned to his bench, giving valuable minutes to big men Geo Chiu and Allen Liwag. Chiu made the most of his opportunity with eight points on perfect shooting and five rebounds.
Ian Miller, the reigning BCAL-East MVP, added 13 points, while Javi Gomez de Liaño registered a double-double of 12 points and 11 boards. Kiefer Ravena continued to provide steady leadership, finishing with 11 points and six assists.
Rhenz Abando and Dave Ildefonso chipped in 10 points apiece in the blowout victory.
Now at 5-0, Strong Group sets its sights on Malaysia next before a possible gold-medal decider against fellow undefeated squad Bahrain (6-0).
“Today was our best offensive showing yet,” said Tiu. “Hopefully we can build on this momentum heading into the final stretch.”