MANILA, Philippines – Strong Group-Pilipinas wasted no time flashing its dominance in the 43rd William Jones Cup as it stormed past United Arab Emirates in its opening assignment, 104-79, on Saturday, July 13, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan. 

Former San Miguel Beermen import Chris McCullough shone the brightest for the powerhouse Strong Group with an all-around stat line of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists.

PBA hopeful Caelan Tiongson had 13 points on a perfect 5-of-5 shooting, while American import Tajuan Agee and Japan B. League star Kiefer Ravena added 12 and 11 markers, respectively, for the Charles Tiu-mentored Philippine side.  

Led by the starting unit of McCullough, Agee, Ravena, Jordan Heading, and DJ Fenner, Strong Group got off to a sizzling start as it jumped out to a 32-18 lead over UAE at the end of the first quarter. 

It was the former Gilas Pilipinas sharpshooter Heading who made a mark for Strong Group early as he dropped all his 9 points in just the opening period on a red-hot 3-of-3 clip from long distance. 

Coming off the halftime break with an 18-point edge, 50-32, the Philippines then increased its lead further to 26 points, 71-45, thanks to back-to-back slams by McCullough and Agee late in the third quarter.

A fiery 10-0 run by UAE bridging the third and fourth quarters got them back to within 13, 60-73, before Strong Group unleashed its own massive rally to stretch its lead to its largest at 30 points, 94-64, off a layup by Dave Ildefonso in the dying minutes of the final frame. 

Like Heading, PBA-bound RJ Abarrientos and naturalized Filipino big man Ange Kouame scored 9 points apiece for Strong Group.

Abarrientos also dished out a game-high 10 assists, highlighted by a crafty no-look pass to Geo Chiu for a two-handed jam in the fourth period. 

Fenner chipped in 8 points, Ildefonso and Allen Liwag contributed 6, while Chiu and Tony Ynot poured in 4 and 2 markers, respectively. 

High-flying Filipino sensation Rhenz Abando and Letran Knights rookie Titing Manalili sat out Strong Group’s wire-to-wire victory.

For UAE, DeMarco Dickerson was the lone bright spot as he exploded for a game-high 29 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep.  

Strong Group shoots for a 2-0 start in the single-round robin tournament when it battles Australia’s BSBL Guardians on Sunday, July 14, at 1 pm. – Rappler.com