MANILA, Philippines — The Meralco Bolts fell short against Mono Vampire, 92-100, in the opening-day skirmishes of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup in Nonthaburi, Thailand.
The Bolts, despite going neck-and-neck against the hosts for three quarters, ran out of gas when it mattered most.
Meralco struggled to match Mono’s firepower in Marcus Keene and Mike Singletary’s combined production of 54 markers, only leaning on replacement import Diamond Stone and old reliable Allen Durham who accounted for a total of 43 points.
Baser Amer led all of the Bolts’ locals by scoring 18.
Hotshot scorer Chris Newsome and forward Cliff Hodge were sorely missed. They were unable to suit up due to eligibility woes.
Meralco, which replaced San Miguel Beer in the tournament, will try to barge into the win column when they tackle Japan’s Alvark Tokyo.