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| Will Artino willed Taoyuan to a win against Meralco in the front end of their home-and-home set. EASL |
MANILA--Taoyuan added some more early problems to Meralco's EASL campaign with an 82-72 win on Sunday night at the Taoyuan Arena.
The Pilots took advantage of Justin Brownlee's continuous absence for the Bolts as the hosts raced to a 64-47 lead after three quarters.
Worse, Meralco's active consultant, Nenad Vucinic, was thrown out of the court in the second quarter due to resentment over calls from the referees.
Despite losing Vucinic, the team showed heart and drew to within six, 72-78, with 32 seconds remaining, but free throws from Amdy Dieng and Kuan Ta-You iced the game for Taoyuan.
Will Artino led the Pilots, who stayed perfect in Group B with a 2-0 record, with 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 17 rebounds, three assists, one block, and three steals.
Alec Brown added 18 points, going 7-for-7 inside the arc, eight rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and one steal.
Ismael Romero paced the Bolts, who fell to 0-2, with 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting, 17 rebounds, one assist, two blocks, and one steal.
Rondae Hollis-Jefferson added 22 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks, but he was held to 6-of-25 shooting.
Both teams will face off again on Saturday night at the Capital Arena in Ilagan.
