On Thursday, August 20, Strong Group-Pilipinas crushed Chinese Taipei-Blue 117-74 at Xingzhuang Gymnasium.
The win gave the Philippine squad a strong finish to its 2026 William Jones Cup campaign. However, SGA still missed the semifinals.
The team finished second in Group A with a 5-1 record. Its three-peat bid therefore came to an end.
The tournament used a double-round-robin format. Chinese Taipei also received an automatic top-four spot as the host nation.
Wonju DB Promy secured the other semifinal place from Group A. The South Korean team had beaten SGA in the opening game.
That result ultimately closed the door on SGA’s title defence.
A statement win for SGA
SGA controlled the game from the opening minutes. The Philippine squad took a 25-17 lead after the first quarter.
The team then increased its advantage through the middle quarters. SGA scored 67 points across the second and third periods.
Isaiah Pineiro led the attack with 22 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Remy Martin added 19 points, while Matthew Wright finished with 18.
SGA’s offensive display showed why the team entered the tournament as a two-time defending champion.
Despite the big victory, the result could not change the semifinal picture. SGA will instead face Jordan in the fifth-place game next Friday.
SGA: ‘Biggest victim’ of the format
SGA’s failure to reach the Final Four sparked debate among Filipino basketball fans.
Chinese Taipei-Blue finished Group A with a 1-4 record. Yet the host team still secured a place in the top four.
The unusual format drew criticism because SGA had a much stronger record.
The Chinese Taipei Basketball Association acknowledged the backlash. It also accepted that SGA may have suffered most from the new system.
“SGA, the two-time champion from the Philippines that was placed in the same group as Chinese Taipei Blue, may have been the biggest victim of this year’s new format,” the CTBA said.
The association also promised to review the format before next year’s tournament.
Organisers introduced the double-round-robin system to give players more time to recover between games.
The new schedule reduced the number of consecutive games. However, the organisers also guaranteed Chinese Taipei a top-four place.
That decision aimed to ensure local fans could watch the host team compete in the later stages.
The format ultimately worked against SGA. The Philippine squad finished with five wins but still missed the semifinals.
SGA’s 117-74 victory over Chinese Taipei therefore ended a frustrating Jones Cup campaign on a high note.
READ NEXT: NBA star Anthony Edwards wears custom Barong Tagalog during Manila tour
