MANILA – Strong Group-Philippines downed Japan Developmental Team, 79-67, Monday night to secure its second win in the 44th William Jones Cup at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in New Taipei City.

The Filipinos were up 39-33 at halftime before their rivals fired two consecutive triples to tie the score.

But former NBA standout Andre Roberson and DJ Fenner fueled a 31-14 run to give the Strong Group a 70-53 advantage with just over six minutes remaining in the game.

“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 head coach Charles Tiu.

Strong Group, the defending champion, held the Japanese squad to just 28 points in the second half.

“Our offense still isn’t too fluid, but again, credit to the guys for their defense. We had five players in double digits, which is big for us. Our locals -- Fenner, Javi, and Rhenz -- were huge," Tiu said.

Roberson, who played with the Oklahoma City Thunder, topped with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and five blocks, while Fenner added 14 points and eight rebounds.

Javi Gomez de Liaño chipped in 13 points, Rhenz Abando had 11 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block, while Tajuan Agee made 10 points before exiting the game due to injury. Hiyuu Ozawa led Japan with 21 points, including four triples, while Kotetsu Kurokawa contributed 13 points and six rebounds.

“Agee got hurt and might miss a few games, so we’ll be short a man. Hopefully, Kouame will be ready for our next game," said Tiu.

Strong Group, which pulled off a 67-56 win over Chinese Taipei Blue last Sunday, faces Qatar on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Tiu hopes the team can stay steady until Kiefer Ravena rejoins the squad midweek.

“Kiefer will be out for one more day, so we just have to weather the storm,” he added. Ravena, who attended the Jordan Brand’s Board of Greatness event in Greece, is expected to play on Wednesday against the NBL1 Rising Stars of Australia, a team that features former UP standout James Spencer. (PNA)