Durham, Ryukyu give shorthanded Meralco rude EASL welcome
At A Glance
- Meralco was given a rude East Asia Super League welcome, absorbing an 89-61 beating at the hands of the host team Ryukyu at the Okinawa Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 15.
Meralco was given a rude East Asia Super League welcome, absorbing an 89-61 beating at the hands of the host team Ryukyu at the Okinawa Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 15.

The Golden Kings caught fire in a huge second quarter onslaught that tore the game wide open and handed the Bolts a forgettable first game in the regional home-and-away league.
That quarter set the tone for the rout as Ryukyu dominated Meralco on both ends of the floor, exploding for 31 points while limiting the Filipinos to a measly 13 points.
When the dust settled at the break, the hometown bets were already up by 48-34 and the lead just went up to as many as 28 points in the ensuing quarters as the hosts fully asserted their might against the Filipinos who missed the services of Commissioner’s Cup import Suleiman Braimoh and top gunner Allein Maliksi
Allen Durham proved to be the biggest thorn to the side of his former team in the PBA, finishing with 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He shared the top scoring honors with Keith Imamura who also fired 16 built on four triples.
Other Ryukyu import Jack Cooley added 12 points and eight rebounds while Filipino import Carl Tamayo had seven points.
Chris Newsome led the Bolts with 11 points while import Prince Ibeh added 10 points and nine rebounds. Cliff Hodge chipped in 10 points but were not enough to help the Bolts carry over their winning start in the Commissioner’s Cup to the EASL.