Sina Vahedi made the wait all worth it after helping steer Meralco into the 2025-26 East Asia Super League (EASL) win column following an 85-76 victory over Taoyuan Pauian at the Capital Arena in Ilagan, Isabela Saturday night.
The Iranian star finished with 22 points, working with Ismail Romero and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson for the strong 17-4 start to the game. The Bolts leaned on the trio to eventually break through after an 0-2 start to the season.
Signed up as the PBA outfit’s Asian import, Vahedi shot 8-of-16 from the field and also collected two rebounds, seven assists, and a steal in a turnover-less outing in 36 minutes on the way to a remarkable league debut.
He was, without a doubt, the difference that enabled Meralco to get back on the Pilots after bowing via an 82-72 result in their previous encounter last Sunday.
But not to be forgotten was Romero, who also recorded 22 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the floor alongside 14 rebounds in the vengeful win.
Vahedi and Romero showed promise as a solid 1-2 punch, as they combined for 25 in the first half to lead the Bolts to a 43-30 lead entering the break.
Hollis-Jefferson, for his part, scattered all-around numbers of 15 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. Chris Newsome led the locals with 14 points — spiked by four treys — on top of three rebounds and six assists.
Naturalized center Ange Kouame also played his first game with the Bolts this season, contributing three points and four rebounds as a replacement for Justin Brownlee, who’s reportedly stricken with pneumonia.
Now at 1-2 in Group B, Meralco will shift its attention to Macau, whom it will face next Saturday, November 15, 6:00 PM at the Cebu Coliseum.
All ticket proceeds will go toward local disaster relief, the league said, as the province is still getting back to its feet after the onslaught of Typhoon Tino.
Setric Millner, Jr., on the other hand, led Taoyuan with 19 points and eight rebounds. Main man Lu Chun-Hsiang made 17 points, while Will Artino added 15 points and 11 rebounds on a night Alec Brown got held to nine points.
The Pilots absorbed their first loss of the season but remained on top of Group B with a 2-1 card, and will look to get back on track when they go face-to-face against the Black Bears on December 14 at the Taoyuan Arena.
The Scores
Meralco (85) – Vahedi 22, Romero 22, Hollis-Jefferson 15, Newsome 14, Quinto 3, Kouame 3, Banchero 2, Almazan 2, Hodge 2.
Taoyuan Pauian (76) – Millner 19, Lu 17, Artino 15, Brown 9, Li 7, Kuan 5, Pai 2, Lin 2, Morrison 0, Dieng 0, Cheng 0.
Quarterscores: 23-14; 43-30; 66-50; 85-76.
