On a tear: McCullough shines yet again as Strong Group rises to 5-0 in Jones Cup
Chris McCullough fills up the stat sheet as Strong Group-Pilipinas turns back Future Sports USA to stay perfect in the 2024 William Jones Cup
MANILA, Philippines – The Chris McCullough show continues in the 2024 William Jones Cup.
For the fifth time in as many games, McCullough delivered the goods for Strong Group-Pilipinas as they turned back Future Sports USA, 112-90, on Thursday, July 18, at the Xinzhuang Gymnasium in Taiwan.
The former San Miguel Beermen import filled up the stat sheet and produced game-highs of 24 points, 18 rebounds, and 7 assists to propel the undefeated Filipinos to a 5-0 slate.
McCullough’s fellow American import Tajuan Agee, likewise, came up huge for the Philippines as he dropped 19 points, 11 coming in the pivotal third quarter.
Similar to its 35-point demolition of Malaysia on Wednesday, July 17, Strong Group went on a sizzling second-half surge, where it outscored USA, 56-30, in the final two quarters.
The Americans led by 4 points at the start of the second half, 60-56, but the Filipinos quickly turned things around with a 7-2 blast in the first three minutes of the third period for a slim 63-62 lead.
From that point on, Strong Group never let go of its advantage as it finished the third frame with an 89-76 cushion, before pushing its lead to its largest at 22 points with under a minute left to play.
Aside from McCullough and Agee, Jordan Heading (11 points), Ange Kouame (10 points), and Allen Liwag (10 points) scored in double figures for Strong Group.
Rhenz Abando came up short of tallying back-to-back double-digit scoring performances as he ended up with 9 markers on 3-of-5 shooting from three-point land.
Bowen Hammer had a team-best 18 points for USA, which slipped further to a 1-5 record.
McCullough and the rest of Strong Group shoot for another easy victory when they collide with Japan’s Under-22 team at 1pm on Friday, July 19.
The Philippines is just three wins away from capturing the gold medal it last won in 2019 under the Mighty Sports ball club as the team with the best record at the end of the elimination round automatically wins the tournament.
The Scores
Strong Group 112 – McCullough 24, Agee 19, Abarrientos 17, Heading 11, Kouame 10, Liwag 10, Abando 9, Ildefonso 7, Ravena 3, Manalili 2, Tiongson 0, Fenner 0.
USA 90 – Bowen 18, Ryan 15, Thomas 14, Malik 13, Scott 11, Smith 9, Agyemang 6, Sobers 2, Anthony 2.
Quarters: 29-28, 60-56, 89-76, 112-90.
– Rappler.com