TIU CREDITS LOCAL CORE FOR DEFENSIVE GRIT VS CHINESE TAIPEI
What began as a nightmare ended in a sweet triumph.
Strong Group-Philippines overcame a sluggish start to stun hosts Chinese-Taipei Blue, 67-56, in the opener of their 44th William Jones Cup campaign Sunday night at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
Facing a deafening crowd and an inspired home team, the defending champions quickly found themselves down 12-1 before scoring their first field goal—a layup by Ian Miller—with just 1:21 left in the opening quarter.
The hosts took a 19-7 advantage after 10 minutes.
“We knew they’d come out aggressive. It’s their home floor and they’re the national team,” said head coach Charles Tiu.
Strong Group clawed their way back in the second quarter, with better ball movement and defensive reads trimming the deficit to 35-29 by halftime.
The offense was still inconsistent, but the momentum slowly began to appear.
Then came the third quarter—a defensive masterclass that flipped the script completely.
Chinese-Taipei was held without a single field goal in the entire third period, missing all 16 of their attempts.
Anchored by Andre Roberson and Tajuan Agee, Strong Group’s defense suffocated the hosts’ perimeter shooters and closed off driving lanes.
Roberson dominated the glass and altered shots, while Agee’s presence disrupted Chinese-Taipei's offense.
Jason Brickman took control of the offense with his poise, Rhenz Abando and DJ Fenner brought athleticism, while Dave Ildefonso added toughness on both ends.
Ian Miller’s scoring in transition also kept the pressure on Chinese-Taipei.
“This is why we built a team like this,” said Tiu. “A team that is defensive-oriented—with Dre Rob and Agee leading the way. But also give credit to our locals: Dave, DJ, Rhenz, and Jason. They locked in defensively after we made some key adjustments.”
From a 28-35 halftime deficit, Strong Group flipped the game with a 21-4 third quarter run, surging to a 50-39 lead entering the fourth.
The momentum stayed with Strong Group, who extended their control and never looked back, completing the comeback.
Strong Group, backed by Bet88 and UAAGI, now sits at 1-0 in the tournament.
The win also serves as a response to Chinese-Taipei’s national team, which defeated Gilas Pilipinas at the nearby Taipei Heping Basketball Gymnasium earlier this year.
“We prepared for them,” added Tiu. “We wanted to get back at them for beating Gilas. That stuck with us.”
Despite the emotional high, Tiu acknowledged that the team still has work to do.
“Our offense is a work in progress,” he admitted. “We’ll figure it out as we play more together. But defense is what we’ve been focusing on—and we’ve scouted them for a while now.”
Strong Group returns to action Monday at 5 p.m. against Japan’s developmental team as their title retention campaign continues with seven more games ahead in the grueling Jones Cup slate.
