STRONG Group Athletics (SGA) concluded its 2026 William Jones Cup group stage campaign by unleashing its full wrath on host Chinese Taipei Blue and cruising to a merciless 117-74 blowout victory on Thursday night.
However, the 43-point demolition served as bittersweet swan song for the title defense of the Philippine representatives.
Despite dominating the game and finishing its Group A assignments with a 5-1 record, SGA was eliminated from contention due to a highly controversial format that guaranteed Chinese Taipei Blue a free pass to the next round, regardless of standings.
This bizarre rule left only one remaining Final Four slot for Group A, which ultimately went to South Korea's Wonju DB Promy, which earlier beat Japan, 75-64 - a result that officially ended the Filipinos' hopes for a three-peat because of the Koreans' superior quotient.
The elimination stung more considering SGA crushed its opponents by an average margin of 23 points throughout the tournament.
Showing absolutely no mercy against the beneficiaries of the new format, the Philippines controlled the entire contest and built a lead as massive as 49 points.
Isaiah Pineiro spearheaded the unforgiving assault, posting a double-double of 22 points and 13 rebounds to go with five assists.
Remy Martin was then an absolute sparkplug off the bench, erupting for 19 points on efficient 7-of-9 shooting in less than 12 minutes of action.
Matthew Wright also continued his scorching form, dropping 18 points built on four three-pointers, while Titing Manalili, arguably the best point guard in college, stuffed the stat sheet with 13 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.
SGA's offense was humming perfectly, shooting 56.1-percent from the field and an incredible 86.8-percent from the line.
Strong Group Athletics statement
For head coach Charles Tiu, the blowout win was a calculated message to tournament organizers.
“We wanted to really blow out Taipei to show that we were the ones who deserved to be playing for the championship,” he firmly stated. “We’ve really hit our stride and are playing at a high level right now. It’s just so, so unfortunate that this is the way things are set up.”
READ: SGA 'biggest victim' of new format, Jones Cup organizers admit
When asked about the rule that abruptly ended their three-peat aspirations, SGA team owner Frank Lao offered a calm, philosophical response.
"Ang sa akin lang, susundin ko ang payo ng nanay ko: 'Wag mong kunin ang bagay na hindi talaga para sa 'yo!'" he said.
Despite the heartbreak of missing the semifinals, Tiu vowed the team would maintain its professionalism for the remainder of the classification phase.
“We want to continue to represent the Philippines and our community here with pride, so we will finish strong,” he emphasized.
The Scores:
SGA 117 — Pineiro 22, Martin 19, Wright 18, Manalili 13, Marjanovic 12, Fenner Jr. 10, Agee 9, Navarro 6, Dave Ildefonso 4, Diouf 4, Shaun Ildefonso 0, Miller 0.
CHINESE TAIPEI BLUE 74 — Xie 18, Chen 14, Morrison 12, Kuo 9, Sung 7, Wu 5, Manu 5, Li 3, Chou 1.
Quarters: 25-17, 54-35, 92-49, 117-74.
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