MERALCO’s endgame rally fell short and suffered a 77-74 loss to Ryukyu Golden Lions in the EASL Season 2 Wednesday night at the Okinawa Arena in Japan.
The Bolts trailed 77-66 with 2:49 left on a layup by naturalized player Alex Kirk, but went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit down to three and threaten for the last time.
Import Allen Durham even had a chance to send the game into overtime, but missed on a step-back three-pointer just before the buzzer as the host team escaped with its first win of the season.
David Kennedy topscored with 30 points and 12 rebounds, while Durham and Chris Newsome each had 18 for Meralco which now carries an even 1-1 record following the loss.
The Bolts missed the defensive presence of Cliff Hodge especially in the second period when the Golden Kings began to take control of the match, outscoring the visiting team, 28-17, behind the outside snippings of Yoshiya Uematsu and Yoshiyuki Matsuwaki.
Ryukyu closed out the first half holding to a 51-35 lead.
Victor Law, who once suited up for the Orlando Magic, paced the Golden Kings with a double-double of 18 points and 12 rebounds, fellow import Jack Cooley had the same output along with seven boards, while naturalized player Alex Kirk added 12.
The Japanese teams made it a double celebration as defending B League champion Hiroshima Dragonflies had a resounding EASL debut behind a 78-67 win over new team Hong Kong Eastern at the F-pico Arena in Fukuyama.
The scores
Ryukyu (77) -- Law 18, Cooley 18, Kirk 12, Eumatsu 9, Matsuwaki 9, Waki 6, Kishimoto 3, Arakawa 2, Onodera 0.
Meralco (74) – Kennedy 30, Durham 14, Newsome 14, Kouame 4, Quinto 4, Bates 0, Almazan 0, Caram 0.
Quarterscores: 23-18; 51-35; 66-57; 77-74.
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