MANILA — Strong Group Athletics-Philippines continued its strong campaign in the 2026 William Jones Cup after defeating host side Chinese Taipei Blue, 97-78, on Sunday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.
Isaiah Piñeiro and Tajuan Agee each scored 19 points, while former NBA big man Boban Marjanovic posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists and a block.
The victory gave Strong Group its second consecutive win and improved its Group A record to 2-1. Chinese Taipei Blue dropped to 1-2.
DJ Fenner contributed 15 points, four rebounds, three steals and two blocks as Strong Group controlled the game for most of the contest.
Piñeiro and Fenner sparked the Philippines in the first half, helping the team build a 52-40 halftime lead after limiting Chinese Taipei Blue to just 17 points in the second quarter.
Marjanovic extended the lead in the third period, converting an and-one floater before following up his missed free throw with a layup to give Strong Group a 58-45 advantage. Remy Martin then knocked down a three-pointer to stretch the lead to 65-48.
Another Marjanovic floater and a Piñeiro three-pointer pushed Strong Group ahead, 77-60, heading into the fourth quarter.
Agee later connected from beyond the arc before Piñeiro scored on a putback to give the Philippines a 90-72 cushion.
The host team responded with six straight points to cut the deficit to 12, but Strong Group answered with a decisive 7-0 closing run led by Will Navarro.
Navarro sealed the victory with a one-handed slam off a pass from Titing Manalili with 35 seconds remaining.
Strong Group will take a one-day break before facing Japan on Tuesday.
