STRONG Group Athletics-Pilipinas head coach Charles Tiu said the team’s 117-74 demolition of Chinese Taipei Blue was more than just another win—it was a statement after SGA was eliminated from the 2026 William Jones Cup semifinals.
SGA closed its Group A campaign in emphatic fashion on Thursday, overwhelming the host team by 43 points and building a lead of as many as 49 points.
The defending two-time champions finished the group stage with a 5-1 record but were denied a semifinal berth after South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy secured the lone qualifying spot from Group A through the tournament’s tiebreaker system.
Chinese Taipei Blue, meanwhile, had already been guaranteed a semifinal berth regardless of its standing.
Tiu said the lopsided victory was SGA’s way of showing that it belonged in the championship race.
“We wanted to really blow out Taipei to show that we were the ones who deserved to be playing for the championship,” Tiu said.
“We’ve really hit our stride and are playing at a high level right now.”
The Philippine side backed up Tiu’s words with a dominant offensive performance, shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 86.8 percent from the free-throw line.
Isaiah Piñeiro led the charge with 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists, while Remy Martin added 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting in less than 12 minutes.
Matthew Wright contributed 18 points, including four three-pointers, while Jonathan Manalili posted 13 points, eight assists and six rebounds.
Despite the convincing victory, Tiu admitted that SGA’s elimination remained difficult to accept.
“It’s just so, so unfortunate that this is the way things are set up,” he said.
Still, Tiu vowed that SGA would continue to represent the Philippines with pride in the remaining games of the tournament.
“We want to continue to represent the Philippines and our community here with pride, so we will finish strong,” he said. (Adrian Co)
