STRONG Group Athletics-Pilipinas closed its 2026 William Jones Cup campaign on a winning note, rallying past Jordan, 96-91, to finish fifth on Friday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
The victory capped a strong six-game winning streak for the Philippine side after it was knocked out of semifinal contention despite finishing the group stage with a 5-1 record.
Boban Marjanovic top-scored for SGA-Pilipinas with 21 points, Tajuan Agee added 17 markers, while Matthew Wright and Ian Miller contributed 15 markers apiece in the win.
SGA-Pilipinas led Jordan, 50-48, at halftime but found itself trailing after the Jordanians erupted for 26 points in the third quarter to take a 74-71 lead heading into the final period.
With Strong Group holding an 81-80 lead and 6:16 remaining, Jonathan Manalili sparked an 8-0 run with timely plays, giving the Philippine side an 89-80 cushion that it would not surrender.
Despite its impressive closing run, however, SGA-Pilipinas settled for fifth place — its lowest finish in three Jones Cup appearances. The Philippine side won the tournament in both 2024 and 2025.
SGA-Pilipinas finished second in Group A with a 5-1 record but missed the semifinals after losing the tiebreaker to eventual top seed Wonju DB Promy based on point differential.
The team’s semifinal elimination was also overshadowed by controversy surrounding the tournament’s revised format.
Organizers guaranteed Chinese Taipei Blue a semifinal berth regardless of its group-stage standing. The host side advanced despite finishing the group stage with a 1-5 record, while SGA-Pilipinas was forced into the classification round despite its 5-1 mark.
The fifth-place finish marked a disappointing end to the team’s bid for a third straight Jones Cup championship, but SGA-Pilipinas closed the tournament with its winning momentum intact. (Adrian Co)
