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Strong Group cruises past UAE in Jones Cup opener

Sports | Basketball

Strong Group cruises past UAE in Jones Cup opener

By Nikole Javier

At A Glance

Strong Group-Pilipinas picked up a dominant opening game win against United Arab Emirates, 104-79, in the 43rd William Jones Cup on Saturday, July 13, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.

Strong Group-Pilipinas picked up a dominant opening game win against United Arab Emirates, 104-79, in the 43rd William Jones Cup on Saturday, July 13, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.

SGA Caelan Tiongson-175.jpg — Caelan Tiongson (SGA)

Following a woeful campaign last year, the Philippines is off to a strong start after holding the upper hand until endgame.

In less than 24 hours, Strong Group is resuming action and will take on Australia’s BSBL Guardians for its second assignment.

American import Chris McCullough and PBA rookie prospect Caelan Tiongson conspired to lead the way for Strong Group with a combined 28-point performance.

McCullough, who played the most minutes for the Charles Tiu-coached squad in the opening salvo, finished with a double-double of 15 points on a steady 7-of-11 shooting clip from inside and 10 rebounds that went with five assists.

Meanwhile, Tiongson, who is set to miss the PBA Rookie Draft on Sunday, July 14, made his minutes count and gave teams something to look forward to should he get selected with a perfect 5-of-5 inside shooting to deliver an efficient 13 markers.

RJ Abarrientos, who was nursing a foot injury from a freak accident prior to the tournament, was equally reliable with nine points off three triples and 10 assists.

Tajuan Agee and skipper Kiefer Ravena added 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the balanced effort that proved to be a winning scheme.

Demarco Dickerson led all scorers in the losing end after scoring 15 points of his 29 on a 5-of-7 outside shooting to pace the UAE side.

Related Tags

RJ Abarrientos Kiefer Ravena Strong Group Jones Cup Charles Tiu

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