Kiefer Ravena and the Strong Group Athletics-Philippines rule the 2025 William Jones Cup. –SGA FACEBOOK via JONES CUP
Strong Group Athletics-Philippines completed a dominant 8-0 sweep of the William Jones Cup with an 87-62 win over the United Arab Emirates on Sunday at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium.
The title was already secured heading into the final day, but the Filipinos still closed strong to claim their second straight championship and the country’s eighth overall in the tournament.
READ: Jones Cup: Strong Group dumps Chinese Taipei-White to go 5-0
“We are happy to win a championship again. We never take anything for granted,” said coach Charles Tiu, who has now guided Strong Group to two Jones Cup titles. “Our bosses go all out every time to win and to support our teams whenever we represent the country.”
UAE made it close early, trailing by just one at halftime, 37-36. But Strong Group pulled away behind a third-quarter surge led by Tajuan Agee and Allen Liwag. Kiefer Ravena and Dave Ildefonso sealed the win with key buckets in the fourth.
Agee led the way with 20 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Ravena added 13 points and nine assists, while DJ Fenner and Ian Miller scored 12 apiece. Ildefonso had 10.
READ: Jones Cup: Kiefer Ravena returns as Strong Group routs Australia
Andre Roberson sat out after consistently leading the team throughout the tournament.
The Filipinos outscored UAE 50-26 in the second half and extended their unbeaten streak to 16 games across the 2024 and 2025 editions.
Their run included wins over Chinese-Taipei Blue, Japan Developmental, Qatar, Australia’s NBL1 Rising Stars, Chinese-Taipei White, Malaysia, and Bahrain.
Tiu praised the team’s chemistry and hinted at what could be next.
“It’s special because I don’t know if we’ll have this group again,” he said. “But we had guys who were committed and willing to sacrifice. That’s rare.”
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“We’re also talking about potentially hosting an invitational in Manila. Some teams are interested,” he added. “But for now, we’ll just enjoy this one.”
