DUBAI — Meralco punched its ticket to the Basketball Champions League Asia (BCLAsia) 2025 quarterfinals following a resounding 97-86 win over Utsunomiya on Sunday night at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall here.
The Bolts unloaded 30 points in the second chapter for a 50-38 lead at the half before pulling away for good in the deciding period, eventually emerging triumphant in the must-win game after falling flat in their debut 24 hours ago.
Previously, the reigning PBA Philippine Cup champions lost steam against Deshawndre Washington and hosts Shabab Al Ahli on opening night. This time, they made sure to bounce back, in the process pulling off an upset of a W.
Meralco faced a Brex team that’s only weeks removed from winning the 2024-25 B.League crown, but the first-game jitters seemingly got the best of the Japan representatives, something that their Filipino counterparts pounced on.
They did it through grit and grind on both ends, with the locals more involved this time — unlike against the defending FIBA WASL-Gulf League champions, where their troika of reinforcements carried much of the load.
(C) FIBA
Chris Banchero helped lead the way with 17 points. Reinforcements Jordon Varnado and Glynn Watson produced the same number of points, with the latter adding eight rebounds and six assists to his tally.
Cliff Hodge supplied 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting while John Egbunu notched a double-double of 12 points and 13 rebounds in the balanced attack.
“We wanted to make the quarterfinals,” said active consultant Nenad Vucinic, who’s listed as the team’s head coach for this tournament.
“We were worried, honestly, to lose this game. There was a big chance that we wouldn’t make it. It was a very difficult game for us. It was a pressure game. But I think we showed that we can perform under pressure,” he added.
Banchero and Watson led the way in their second-quarter assault, joining hands to show the way for a 10-4 rally — capped off by a Raymond Almazan bucket from inside — to construct a 48-33 lead with 1:23 left in the said frame.
Utsunomiya did cut the gap to seven during the next quarter, but Hodge came in to help restore order. He converted many of his points from underneath the rim to give the Bolts a 13-point lead, 75-62, before the third came to a close.
Meralco would be in total control afterwards, with its lead rising to its highest at 20, 89-69, following another hit by Hodge with less than five minutes left to play.
Eventually, they’d become the third team to advance after Tabiat Basketball of Iran and the Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos of Mongolia — entries formalized after the former beat CBA champions Zhejiang Guangsha Lions earlier in the day.
(C) FIBA
Isaac Fotu, on the other hand, tallied 20 points and six rebounds for the Brex, who will have to beat Shabab Al Ahli to keep their quarters hopes alive.
Finn Delany made 14 points and 6 rebounds. DJ Newbill supplied 13 points, five rebounds, and eight assists. Meanwhile, Japan men’s national team standout Makoto Hiejima added 11 points, spiked by a troika of triples.
