Meralco-Pilipinas drops FIBA Asia Champions Cup opener

Meralco-Pilipinas started its campaign in the 2018 FIBA Asia Champions Cup on the wrong foot, dropping its first game to home team Mono Vampire of Thailand, 100-92, at Stadium 29 in Bangkok.

Playing with a lineup decimated by injuries and eligibility woes, MeralcoPilipinas gamely fought on, relying heavily on imports Allen Durham and Louis Diamond Stone and point guard Baser Amer to contribute on offense. But down the stretch, the Philippine-based squad had no answer for Mono Vampire's imports, the electric Marcus Keene and the veteran Mike Singletary.

Keene was at his best in the fourth quarter, as he went on a scoring tear with eight straight points to break open what was a tied game at 70 entering the payoff period. A triple from Keene gave Mono Vampire its first double-digit lead at 92-82, with 3:44 left in the game.

Meralco tried to make a last gasp run, going on a 7-0 run to get to within 3 points, 92-89 with 1:54 left in the game. However, back to back shots from Keene and Singletary proved to be the dagger, as the home team cruised to the victory.

Stone top scored for Meralco with 21 points, 16 of them coming in the first period. Durham chipped in 19 points on 8/17 from the field, to go along with 18 rebounds, while Amer had 18 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Keene had a game-high 29 points and 8 assists, while Singletary tallied 25 points and 14 rebounds for the triumphant Thailand-based squad.

Meralco tries to get back on track on Friday when the Bolts take on Alvark Tokyo of Japan. —

ESPN5