Ryukyu, Durham deal Meralco Bolts a 28-point beating in EASL debut

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. Allen Durham (198-F/C-1988, college: Grace Christian) torched his former PBA team for 16 points and Keita Imamura (191-G/F-1996) 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 (187-G-1990, college: Georgetown, KY) finished with 11 points to pace Meralco, which played with just one import in Prince Ibeh (208-C-1994, college: Texas), who had 10 points together with Clifford Hodge (196-PF-1988, college: HPU). The Golden Kings, who also featured Filipino Carl Tamayo (200-F-2001), 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.
Courtesy of: spin.ph