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Manila Bulletin devider Sports devider Basketball devider SGA holds off Japan, nails first Jones Cup win

SGA holds off Japan, nails first Jones Cup win

Published Aug 15, 2026 07:59 pm

At A Glance

  • Three-peat chasing Strong Group Athletics rediscovered its winning form and held off Japan, 78-72, to barge into the winning column of the 2026 William Jones Cup at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City Saturday, Aug. 15.
(Strong Group Athletics)
(Strong Group Athletics)
Three-peat chasing Strong Group Athletics rediscovered its winning form and held off Japan, 78-72, to barge into the winning column of the 2026 William Jones Cup at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City Saturday, Aug. 15.
Coming off a 110-79 beating from South Korea, SGA regrouped quickly and showcased its true capabilities, particularly in the fourth quarter, where it bounced back from a 55-60 deficit to reclaim the lead, 72-70, behind timely conversions from Ian Miller and Matthew Wright.
From there, the Japanese side poured everything onto the floor in an attempt to reclaim the lead but fell short after missing a couple of crucial freethrows that could have put them ahead. The Filipinos capitalized on Japan’s miscues, knocking down timely baskets to seal the victory.
With the victory, the Charles Tiu-mentored crew improved to 1-1 in Group A and will shoot for back-to-back victories when it takes on Chinese Taipei- Blue on Sunday, Aug. 16, at the same venue.
Japan, on the other hand, will try to bounce back against South Korea.
Tiu praised his wards for their resilience and stellar defensive effort, particularly in the payoff period, while also acknowledging the team’s lapses throughout the contest.
“Good bounce-back win. We just had to. There was no way we could play as badly as we did yesterday. We had our moments, but we still had a few bad stretches. We played some really good defense in the fourth quarter,” he said.
“We are slowly finding our groove, and we need these types of games, although I’m hoping we can have a more dominant performance,” he added. “We need to get back to playing our SGA brand of basketball and find our identity. It’s a long tournament, but we definitely need to step up to beat Taipei.”
Puerto Rican reinforcement Isaiah Piñeiro once again starred for SGA after posting a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Wright and Tajuan Agee chipped in 15 and 14 points, respectively.
Ian Miller contributed 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals while Boban Marjanovic tallied nine points, seven rebounds and one block.
Arai Gakuto and Hiyuu Ozawa scored 25 and 13 points, respectively, in a losing cause for Japan, which fell to a 0-2 hole.

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