STRONG Group Athletics-Philippines trounced Chinese Taipei-B, 96-70, on Saturday to step one win away from capturing the 43rd William Jones Cup in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
The Philippine-based club asserted its dominance from tip-off, building a 30-15 lead at the end of the first quarter, and leading by as many as 34 points against one of the teams that the host country fielded.
SGA, now with a 7-0 win-loss record, will face Chinese Taipei-A on Sunday where it will seek the Philippines’ seventh crown in the Jones Cup.
Chris McCullough had 25 points and seven rebounds for SGA, which was still without Ange Kouame, Rhenz Abando, and Tajuan Agee for the second straight game due to injury and illness.
Rain or Shine-draftee Caelan Tiongson was also out in the game, but their absence hardly affected the team’s play against Chinese Taipei-B.
Kiefer Ravena had 14 points and six rebounds, and Barangay Ginebra-bound RJ Abarrientos added 13 points, three rebounds, and six assists for the Philippine side.
Geo Chiu made his presence felt for Strong Group by grabbing a game-high 16 rebounds in the contest.
As of posting time, Chinese Taipei-A also has an unblemished record, winning six of its games heading into the match against BSBL Guardians later in the day.
The scores:
Strong Group Athletics 96 – McCullough 25, Ravena 14, Abarrientos 13, Fenner 12, Heading 11, Chiu 6, Ynot 6, Manalili 4, Ildefonso 3, Liwag 2.
Chinese Taipei-B 70 – Zhang 16, Lin Y.T. 12, Mbaye 8, Dayu 8, Chen Y.W. 8, Chen L.S. 6, Yu 4, Wu 3, Hu 2, Fu 2, Chiang C. 1, Wang S.L. 0.
Quarters: 30-15; 57-31; 80-54; 96-70.
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