Basketball news: SGA flattens Chinese Taipei but ends three-peat bid in Jones Cup

On Thursday, August 20, Strong Group-Pilipinas demolished Chinese Taipei-Blue, 117-74, at the Xingzhuang Gymnasium to finish strong after bowing out in the 2026 William Jones Cup.

Despite the one-sided drubbing of the host nation, the Philippine team officially ended their bid for a three-peat in the tournament after finishing second in Group A with a 5-1 win-loss record.

Under the tournament’s double-round-robin format, the host team was given an automatic top-four berth.

Meanwhile, Wonju DB Promy, who beat the Philippine squad in the opener, clinched the remaining semifinal ticket as the top-performing team in Group A, shutting the door on SGA.

A statement win for SGA

The Philippine-based squad dominated the game from the get-go, taking a 25-17 lead in the first quarter. 

SGA maintained its momentum in the middle quarters, burying the host squad with a 67-point production.

Isaiah Pineiro steered SGA’s offense with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists, followed by Remy Martin and Matthew Wright with 19 and 18 points, respectively.

SGA will face Jordan for a fifth-place game next Friday.

SGA: ‘Biggest victim’ of the format

However, SGA’s failure to reach the Final Four raised eyebrows among Filipino basketball fans, given that the host team finished Group A with a 1-4 win-loss record.

In a statement, the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association recognised the backlash following the pre-agreed condition of the tournament’s format.

“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,” said an official statement from CTBA.

“The association humbly accepts the feedback and criticism from all parties and we will review and improve the tournament format and scheduling for next year,” it added.

According to organisers, the double round-robin format change was initiated to provide players ample time to recover from injuries with a reduced number of non-consecutive games in the tournament.

However, a guaranteed top-four berth was handed to Chinese Taipei to ensure that local fans would be able to watch the home squad compete at the latter stages of the competition.

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