Continuing their title defense at the 44th William Jones Cup, the Strong Group Athletics Philippines easily dealt with Qatar to pick up their 3rd win yesterday, July 15.
A Blowout Win Despite the Injuries
SGA had lots of players who were on the injury report before the game. This would be the team’s 3rd game in 3 days.
Tajuan Agee is hurt, Andre Roberson is playing with a swollen knee, Ian Miller’s plantar is bothering him, Rhenz Abando’s hamstring may sideline him in their next game versus Australia, Dave Ildefonso and Geo Chiu are battling through an illness, while Jason Brickman is fatigued.
Despite all of these, DJ Fenner led the early charge, scoring 16 of his 18 points in the first half, propelling Strong Group to a 21-9 lead after the opening quarter. They maintained their intensity on defense throughout, limiting Qatar to just 54 points and never relinquishing the lead.
Qatar showed signs of life in the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 52-39 following a trio of triples from 17-year-old Abdulla Mousa. But Strong Group responded emphatically with a 6-0 spurt to start the fourth period, restoring a 19-point cushion behind baskets from Andre Roberson and a layup from Fenner.
Javi Gomez de Liano took over in the second half, scoring 13 of his 18 points after the break and hitting back-to-back threes in the closing minutes to stretch the lead to 73-50. Ian Miller contributed 10 points, nine rebounds, and three assists, including a key triple that capped a decisive 15-5 run in the third. Shaun Ildefonso added a four-point play late to put the game away.
FINAL SCORE: 81 – 54
Strong Group dominated key statistical categories, including rebounds (59-47), assists (19-11), and steals (10-4), en route to their 11th consecutive Jones Cup win, extending their run from their undefeated 2024 title campaign.
Here are the players who helped continue the winning streak:
- DJ Fenner – 18 points, 7 rebounds, and an assist
- Javi Gómez de Liaño – 18 points (4-of-8 from 3-pointers) and 3 rebounds
- Ian Miller – 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal
- Dave Ildefonso – 8 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals
- Andre Roberson – 7 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks
- Ange Kouame – 6 points, 5 rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block
- Jason Brickman – 5 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals
- Geo Chiu – 5 points, 4 rebounds
- Rhenz Abando – 2 points, 2 rebounds, and a steal
- Allen Liwag – 2 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal
This win pushed their record to 3-0, matching Bahrain as the only teams without a loss in the nine-nation tournament. Bahrain is currently 4-0.
SGA now turns its attention to a crucial clash against Australia on Wednesday, July 16, at 5:00 PM.
Reinforcement is on the Way
After missing their first 3 games because of prior commitments, veteran guard Kiefer Ravena is set to join the squad in Taiwan.
His arrival couldn’t be more perfect as the Philippines is now entering the halfway point of the Jones Cup tournament.
