Meralco’s hopes of advancing to the East Asia Super League (EASL) Final Four were shattered on Wednesday evening, as the Bolts suffered a heartbreaking 106-96 double-overtime loss to the New Taipei Kings in their final group phase game at the University of Taipei, Tian-Mu Campus Gymnasium.
With the win, the reigning P.League+ champions (B, 5-3) secured a spot in the Final Four, joining Japan’s B.League representatives Hiroshima (A, 5-1) and Ryukyu (B, 5-1), along with fellow Taiwanese squad Taoyuan (B, 4-2).
The semifinals are set to take place from March 7 to 9 at the Studio City Event Center in Cotai, Macau.
New Taipei took over in the second overtime, with Joseph Lin igniting a decisive 9-0 finishing run to eliminate Meralco.
The Bolts had led by as much as 13 points late in the third quarter, but New Taipei clawed back.
(C) EASL
Austin Daye drained a clutch three-pointer to force the first overtime, while DJ Kennedy had a chance to win it in regulation but missed. In the first extra period, Jansen Rios came up big, hitting a crucial triple to push the game into a second overtime.
Kennedy led Meralco with 21 points, while Chris Newsome—who is set to fly to Doha tomorrow to join Gilas Pilipinas—contributed 17 points, seven assists, and six rebounds.
Meralco wrapped up its campaign with a 2-3 record, finishing fourth in Group B.
Akil Mitchell and Bong Quinto also chipped in 15 points apiece.
On the other side, Sani Sakakini paced New Taipei with 31 points and 11 rebounds, while Daye registered a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds.
Kenneth Manigault added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and Lin finished with 19 points, including three triples.
(C) EASL
Over at Suwon KT Sonicboom Arena, San Miguel capped off its disappointing EASL campaign winless, fielding only 10 players in a 94-81 defeat against Suwon KT.
Jeron Teng led the short-handed Beermen with 17 points, while Juami Tiongson added 14.
San Miguel played without an import and was missing key players June Mar Fajardo, CJ Perez, and Jericho Cruz. Fajardo and Perez are already in Doha, while Cruz is in Guam preparing for Window 3 of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers.
For Suwon KT, Rayshaun Hammonds led the way with 19 points, while Han Huiwon and Choi Jingwang added 15 points apiece. The Sonicboom finished with a 2-3 record.
The last time a PBA team reached the EASL semifinals was in 2019, when San Miguel finished fourth in The Terrific 12 tournament.
The Scores:
First Game:
Suwon KT 94 – Hammonds 19, Romero 15, Choe 15, Han 15, Park S 10 S, Park J 7, Moon J 7, Moon S 6, Park J 0, Lee 0, Heo 0.
San Miguel 81 – Teng 17, Tiongson 14, Cahilig 12, Lassiter 10, Ross 7, Trollano 5, Enciso 5, Nava 5, Brondial 4, Tautaa 2.
Quarterscores: 39-15, 53-41, 75-56, 94-81.
Second Game:
New Taipei 106 – Sakakini 31, Daye 24, Lin J 19, Manigault 19, Lee 13, Chien 0, Lin C 0, Su 0, Chen 0, Hung 0, Lu 0.
Meralco 96 – Kennedy 21, Newsome 17, Mitchell 15, Rios 11, Hodge 10, Black 5, Kouame 2, Cansino 0, Banchero 0.
Quarterscores: 24-25, 42-44, 57-67, 78-78, 91-91, 106-96.
