Strong Group off to dominant 2-0 start in Jones Cup

Strong Group’s Chris McCullough during the William Jones Cup.–Photo from SGA

MANILA, Philippines — Strong Group Athletics continued to dominate the 43rd William Jones Cup after unleashing another lopsided win over the BSBL Guardians of Australia, 91-69, on Sunday in Taipei.

Chris McCullough sustained his fine form as he delivered 23 points and seven rebounds to give the Philippine club a 2-0 start in the tournament.

McCullough conspired with Tajuan Agee for a dominant 34-10 first quarter en route to another wire-to-wire win, following their 104-79 rout of the United Arab Emirates, where the former led the collective effort with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

SCHEDULE: Strong Group Athletics at Jones Cup 2024

Gilas naturalized Ange Kouame also stepped up with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Agee had 14 points, four rebounds, and two blocks.

Jordan Heading was the top Filipino performer with nine points to send BSBL to its second straight loss.

The Aussie club banked on Jesse Ghee, who had a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds. Atem Bior added 14 points.

READ: Charles Tiu sees ‘great balance’ in Jones Cup-bound Strong Group

Strong Group has three aspiring PBA rookies RJ Abarrientos, Caelan Tiongson, and Dave Ildefonso, who are all hoping to be selected by teams in the ongoing Draft on Sunday in Manila.

The Filipinos are eyeing their third win against Ukraine on Monday at 5 p.m.