SGA struggles early over Japan, pulls away late for second straight win
Josel Mari Sapitan
Strong Group Athletics–Philippines remained unbeaten in the 2025 William Jones Cup after fending off the Japan Developmental Team, 79–67, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium, July 14.
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Photo Courtesy of Facebook/Strong Group Athletics. |
SGA broke away in the second half behind Andre Roberson and DJ Fenner, igniting a 31–14 run that turned a 39-all deadlock into a double-digit victory.
Roberson led the way with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, while Fenner followed with 14 points and eight boards. Javi Gomez de Liaño chipped in 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting.
In addition, Rhenz Abando provided an all-around effort with 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block, while Tajuan Agee added 10 points before exiting due to injury.
Coming off a hard-fought win over Chinese Taipei the day before, SGA had to grind through early struggles against Japan’s U25 young arsenal as head coach Charles Tiu pointed to fatigue and the relentless pace of the Japanese as key challenges.
“Ugly game for us; the guys were beat up from yesterday’s match—we were really spent. Japan put a lot of pressure on us, and it was tough with just Jason and Ian as our primary ball handlers,” said Tiu.
Japan struck first and built early momentum before SGA responded with back-to-back buckets and tightened up defensively to close the opening quarter on a 12–2 run, leading 21–11.
SGA stayed ahead in the second but couldn’t shake off the persistent Japanese squad, allowing them to trim the lead to 39–33 at halftime.
Japan came out aggressive in the third and managed to tie the game at 39-all off a strong transition attack and consecutive stops.
However, SGA quickly recovered and unleashed a 16–3 run anchored by Roberson and Fenner to regain full control at 55–42.
The Filipinos remained composed in the final minutes of the third to maintain a 61–51 advantage heading into the fourth.
Building off that momentum, SGA pushed the lead to as much as 18 in the payoff period, keeping Japan at bay and never allowing them to get back into the game.
SGA-Philippines improved to a 2–0 start and looks to stay perfect when it faces Qatar on Tuesday at 5 PM (Philippine time).