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SGA reaffirms mastery over Japan to score third straight win

Sports | Basketball

SGA reaffirms mastery over Japan to score third straight win

By Mark Rey Montejo

At A Glance

Strong Group Athletics needed to shake off a sluggish start before completing a 107-86 victory over Japan to take its third straight win in the 2026 William Jones Cup at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City Tuesday, Aug. 18.

Boban Marjanovic (SGA)

Boban Marjanovic (SGA)

Strong Group Athletics needed to shake off a sluggish start before completing a 107-86 victory over Japan to take its third straight win in the 2026 William Jones Cup at Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City Tuesday, Aug. 18.

The SGA ballers struggled in the opening frame but regained their form in the second canto, with Ian Miller, Tajuan Agee, Isaiah Piñeiro and DJ Fenner spearheading their assault to turn a 28-26 lead into a 61-44 gap at the half.

That proved to be enough as the Philippine-based club held its ground up to the final buzzer for a 3-1 card in the annual meet.

SGA tackles South Korea (3-0) Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the same venue.

The next few games will be crucial for SGA as only the top two teams will proceed to the semifinals.

Dealt with its fourth straight defeat, Japan tries to recover as it aims to notch its first victory against Chinese Taipei Blue (2-1).

Puerto Rican Piñeiro carried the scoring cudgels anew for SGA with 25 points, five rebounds, one assist, and one steal, while Agee and Remy Martin logged 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Miller and Fenner contributed 12 points apiece, while Matthew Wright and Titing Manalili conspired for 19 points. Boban Marjanovic, for his part, had seven points, eight rebounds, and two blocks.

Hayato Wakugawa showed the way for Japan with 26 points, while Arai Gakuto and Hiyuu Ozawa contributed 17 and 10 points, respectively.

Related Tags

SGA Jones Cup

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