SGA-Pilipinas ends Jones Cup run on winning note

Strong Group Athletics-Pilipinas wrapped up its 45th Jones Cup campaign on a winning note, defeating Jordan, 96-91, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City on Friday.

The victory gave SGA-Pilipinas a 6-1 overall record after going 5-1 in the group stage, but it was not enough to secure a spot in the semifinal due to Wonju DB Promy’s superior quotient.

Despite finishing second in Group A, Strong Group was left out of the knockout round after the Chinese Taipei Basketball Association guaranteed Chinese Taipei Blue a place in the semifinals even though the host squad finished the group stage with a 1-5 record.

Still, Strong Group refused to end its campaign quietly.

The Filipino club found itself trailing by seven, 56-63, midway through the third quarter before mounting a rally that pulled it within striking distance, 79-80, early in the final period.

Ian Miller then delivered the go-ahead basket on a drive with 6:29 remaining, igniting a crucial 13-4 run as Isaiah Piñeiro and Titing Manalili also came through with timely contributions.

Manalili put the finishing touches on the comeback with a strong drive with 1:41 remaining that gave Strong Group a 94-85 lead and effectively put Jordan away.

Former National Basketball Association center Boban Marjanović saved his best performance for last, finishing with 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting while adding eight rebounds.

Marjanović, who averaged 9.7 points during the group stage, received ample support from Tajuan Agee, who finished with 17 points and four rebounds.

Matthew Wright and Miller added 15 points apiece while DJ Fenner contributed 11 points.

Manalili also made the most of his limited minutes, tallying six points and four assists in just 11 minutes of action.

Hadi Alhami led Jordan with 21 points and nine rebounds while Abdullah Olajuwon, son of National Basketball Association legend Hakeem Olajuwon, added 18 points in a losing effort.