MANILA – Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas finished the 2026 William Jones Cup with six consecutive victories, but the two-time defending champion had to settle for fifth place after rallying past Jordan, 96-91, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City, Taiwan.
The Philippine squad completed the tournament with an impressive 6-1 record, yet recorded its lowest finish in three Jones Cup appearances after a controversial tournament format and a point-differential tiebreaker denied it a semifinal berth.
Boban Marjanovic powered SGA-Pilipinas with 21 points, while Tajuan Agee added 17. Matthew Wright and Ian Miller contributed 15 points apiece in the classification-round victory.
Strong Group held a slim 50-48 advantage at halftime before Jordan erupted for 26 points in the third quarter to seize a 74-71 lead entering the final period.
SGA-Pilipinas regained an 81-80 edge before Jonathan Manalili ignited a decisive 8-0 run with 6:16 remaining. The surge gave the Philippine side an 89-80 cushion that Jordan could no longer overcome.
The win extended Strong Group’s winning streak to six games after it opened the tournament with a loss.
SGA-Pilipinas finished second in Group A with a 5-1 record but lost the tiebreaker to eventual top seed Wonju DB Promy based on point differential.
Its elimination was further clouded by the tournament’s revised format, which guaranteed Chinese Taipei Blue a semifinal berth regardless of its group-stage standing.
The host squad advanced despite posting a 1-5 record, while SGA-Pilipinas was relegated to the classification round despite winning five of its six group-stage matches.
Strong Group entered the tournament seeking a third consecutive championship after ruling the Jones Cup in 2024 and 2025.
Although its title defense ended prematurely, SGA-Pilipinas concluded its campaign with six straight victories and winning momentum intact./PN
