In a two-game home stand against Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau in the FIBA Micronesia Cup 2026 Friday at the University of Guam Calvo Field House, Guam’s men’s national basketball team earned two blowout victories – punching their ticket to the 2027 Pacific Games in French Polynesia.
In the first game, where Guam played Pohnpei, who defeated Chuuk and Yap in a regional qualifier to advance to the Micronesia Cup, they won the lopsided affair 92-63.
“We played these guys, Pohnpei, in the last micro (median) games, and I know they were going to come here, give us a tough game. It wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, so we couldn’t take them for granted,” said Guam’s Aljurrell Grape. “We’ve been preparing for the couple months – try to stay sharp and do our best to defend home.”
In the second game, a win that cemented Guam’s advancement to the Pac Games, they defeated Palau 102-75.
In the home stand opener, Guam surged to a 15-point lead and never looked back. With unmatched effort on the offensive and defensive glass, Guam was led by Chris Conner, Mark Johnson Jr., Matt Fegurgur, Grape and Leon Shimizu.
Conner and Johnson finished with doubles – 16 points and 10 rebounds for Conner, and 11 points and 14 boards for big man Johnson. Grape, who did the bulk of Guam’s scoring in the second half, finished with a game-high 24 points. Fegurgur, who spent most of the first half in foul trouble, added 10 points and hauled in 4 rebounds. Shimizu finished with nine points and four rebounds, three on the offensive glass.
Despite leading 17-2 in the first half, a gutty shooting performance from the floor and the free throw line from Connor Boylan kept FSM within striking distance. But a three-point buzzer-beater from Blaise Ada to end the first quarter, increased Guam’s lead back into double-digit territory.
“Relentless scorer, very great player. We just tried our best to make it difficult for him, lock in on defense, play as a team on defense, and communicate more,” Grape said.
Conner, who was Guam’s offensive catalyst in the opening quarter, was ready to compete.
“I just had to stay calm, play for Guam and just bring my A game today – just let my game do the talking,” Conner said.
By half-time, Guam’s lead dipped to nine points but opened the third quarter with a fury – led by Fegurgur, who scored on three power drives, including a two-handed slam dunk.
Guam began pulling away, burying FSM ever-deeper. Grape, in the fourth quarter, drained a pair of three-pointers and a trio of drives deep inside the paint.
Although Boylan finished with a team-high 20 points and six rebounds, and teammate Noah Adams dropped in 15 points and snagged 15 boards, Guam’s balanced scoring attack proved too much for the visitors. All of Guam’s 11man roster members scored.
In Game No. 2, Conner dropped a game-high 23 points, Grape scored 21 points, Johnson added 19 points and eight rebounds, and Ben Borja II, who was absent in the opener, scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds. Fegurgur finished with seven points and eight rebounds – six on the offensive glass.
For the entire 40 minutes, Palau played with heart and tenacity, but were outmatched by Guam’s offensive balance and shot-altering capabilities. With the 6-foot-9 Fegurgur, 6-foot-7 Borja and 6-foot-5 Johnson plugging up the middle and controlling the glass, the trio combined for 21 rebounds and four blocks.
Palau was led by Jerry Ngiraremiang (13 points/five rebounds), Wallace Worswick (11 points/five rebounds, Ubai Kingzio (10 points), Steven, Redhor (10 points) and Jason Seid (9 points, six rebounds).
Women up next
Guam’s women’s national basketball team, also with a spot into the Pac Games on the line, are scheduled to play FSM at 5 p.m. Saturday, at UOG.
At 7:30 p.m. Sunday, in the final game of competition, Guam will play Palau.
