Meralco Bolts snapped out of their two-game slide in the EASL last 8 November (Saturday), using a strong start as buffer en route to an 85-76 victory over the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots at Capital Arena in Isabela.
Or did they?
The visiting Taiwanese squad put the result under protest, citing a Fiba rule restricting teams to two imports per quarter.
"In the second quarter, four import players played together on the floor, two more players than allowed by Fiba rules," Pilots coach Iurgi Caminos told reporters here in a post-game briefing.
Bolts coach Nenad Vucinic shrugged off the protest and conceded that "it is the right of the Pilots to say on whatever will be their allegations."
He, however, said he would accept responsibility on the matter.
Riding on the crest of a 14-4 run in the first quarter, the Bolts never looked back and deflated the spirited rally of the Pilots to break into the win column of Season 3.
Asian import Mohammadsina Vahedi of Iran led the Bolts with 22 points, two rebounds, seven assists and one steal.
"I am surprised that a lot of fans watched the game and that we played for them. I hope they enjoyed the game as much as we do," he said.
Vahedi matched the 22 points of import Ismael Romero, who also tallied 14 rebounds, four assists, one steal and one turnover.
The Bolts led by as many as 22.
Bolts import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and the Pilots’ Lu Chun Hsiang marked EASL milestones by joining the league’s 200-point club. Hollis-Jefferson scored 15 points to up his career total to 207 while Lu scored 17 points for a 215-point total.
Last season, Lu led the league in total points with 158. Hollis-Jefferson returned this year after posting 145 in the 2023–24 campaign.
No comments:
Post a Comment