TAIWAN — Strong Group Athletics-Philippines defeated South Korea’s Wonju DB Promy, 113-87, on Wednesday for its fourth straight win in the 2026 William Jones Cup, but the 26-point victory left its semifinal hopes uncertain.
Strong Group improved to 4-1 in Group A and moved level with Wonju, but needed a 32-point win to overcome the quotient disadvantage from its 110-79 loss to the Korean club in the tournament opener.
The Philippine side came close after building a 28-point lead, 95-67, in the second half. Wonju cut the deficit late to finish 26 points behind.
Filipino import Ethan Alvano led Wonju with 37 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
“This one really hurts. It’s rare to win a game and still feel disappointed,” Strong Group coach Charles Tiu said. “We were so close. We prepared well and really gave ourselves a chance to win, but the 32-point margin was just too much for us to overcome.”
Strong Group also expressed frustration over a tournament format that gave Chinese Taipei Blue an automatic semifinal berth, leaving only the Group A leader with a direct path to the semifinals.
Tiu said teams learned about the format only after arriving in Taiwan and noted that even Wonju’s coach had questioned the setup.
Strong Group built a 26-17 lead in the first quarter and extended the advantage to 20 points before halftime. Isaiah Piñeiro and Tajuan Agee fouled out late as the team tried to reach the required winning margin.
Matthew Wright scored 21 points on seven three-pointers, while Agee added 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Strong Group must now beat Chinese Taipei Blue on Thursday and hope Japan, which has yet to win, defeats Wonju in the 3 p.m. game. The Philippine team faces Chinese Taipei Blue at 7 p.m.