RYUKYU gave Meralco a rude reception in the EASL Home and Away season, dealing the Bolts a 89-61 rout on Wednesday night at the Okinawa Arena in Japan.
Durham torches former team
Allen Durham torched his former PBA team for 16 points and Keita Imamura had a team-high 19 points as they teamed up in a telling 20-6 run in the second period that put the reigning B.League champion in control, 48-34, at the half.
Until that scoring spree, the undermanned Bolts were in the thick of the game at 28-28.
Durham added nine rebounds and six assists as he beat the same team which he steered to three runner up finishes in the Governors’ Cup from 2016-2019.
Gilas Pilipinas stalwart Chris Newsome finished with 11 points to pace Meralco, which played with just one import in Prince Ibeh, who had 10 points together with Cliff Hodge.
Golden Kings move up
The Golden Kings, who also featured Filipino Carl Tamayo, improved their record to 2-1 in Group B.
The two teams will meet again on Dec. 13 at the integrated resort Studio City in Macau in a game presented by Melco Resorts and Entertainment.
The scores
Ryukyu (89) – Immamura 19, Durham 16, Cooley 12, Matsuwaki 11, Kishimoto 9, Maki 9, Tamayo 7, Uematsu 3, Tashiro 3, Arakawa 0, Watanabe 0, Onedera 0.
Meralco (61) – Newsome 11, Ibeh 10, Hodge 10, Almazan 6, Black 6, Dario 5, Quinto 5, Caram 4, Torres 2, Pasaol 2, Pascual 0, Bates 0.
Quarterscores: 17-21; 48-34; 69-47; 89-61.
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