Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas keeps semifinal hopes alive with win over Wonju

Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas (SGA-Pilipinas) remains in contention for the 2026 William Jones Cup semifinals following a 113-87 victory over South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Despite the 26-point win, the Philippine side faces a difficult path due to the tournament’s scoring margin format. Because of a previous 31-point loss to Wonju, SGA-Pilipinas required a 32-point margin to overcome the quotient disadvantage, a target they narrowly missed.

Matthew Wright led the scoring for Strong Group with 24 points, supported by Tajuan Agee with 22 and Ian Bennett Miller with 19. Wonju DB Promy was led by Ethan Alvano, who scored 37 points.

The tournament format has drawn criticism from coaching staff, including SGA-Pilipinas coach Charles Tiu, who noted that Chinese Taipei Blue was granted an automatic semifinal berth. To advance, Strong Group must defeat Chinese Taipei Blue in their final Group A game and hope for a specific outcome in the matchup between Wonju DB Promy and Japan.

Prior to the win against Wonju, SGA-Pilipinas secured a 107-86 victory over Japan, led by Isaiah Piñeiro with 25 points.