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The Meralco Bolts are on a roll in the EASL Home and Away Season 3, notching their second straight win with a 92-74 victory over the debuting Macau Black Bears at the newly refurbished Cebu Coliseum last Saturday night.

Imports Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Ismael Romero spearheaded the second-quarter breakaway for the Bolts before the rest of the team joined in to secure the 18-point winning margin. Romero delivered a massive double-double with 25 points and 28 rebounds, while Hollis-Jefferson finished with a game-high 34 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists, thrilling the Cebuano crowd with three thunderous dunks.

It was Meralco’s second straight home win in a week, evening their Group B record at 2-2 behind the Taoyuan Pilots (2-1) and the Ryukyu Golden Kings (1-1). The Bolts had earlier defeated the Pilots, 82-72, at the Capital Arena in Ilagan, Isabela.

Chris Banchero led the locals with 12 points, three rebounds, and three assists, while Asian import Sina Vahedi added 10 points, three rebounds, and four assists.

For Macau, Damian Chongqui had 25 points, with Omari Peek-Green and Jalon Demarco Miller adding 14 apiece in the Black Bears’ season debut.

Proceeds from the EASL game will be donated to Typhoon Tino victims in Cebu, with Meralco also raising P500,000 for the cause.

EASL senior vice president Dominic Tang announced the league’s relief commitment, underscoring basketball’s power to unite and uplift communities in times of need.

The scores

Meralco (92)—Hollis-Jefferson 34, Romero 25, Banchero 12, Vahedi 10, Newsome 7, Quinto 2, Hodge 2, Caram 0, Kouame 0.

Macau (74)—Chongqui 25, Peek-Green 14, Miller 14, Ye 13, Shackelford 8, Guo 0, Liu 0, Cao 0, Lao 0.

Quarter scores: 25-24, 48-38, 65-52, and 92-74.

What began as a season of high hopes is quickly unraveling for the Meralco Bolts. The squad absorbed its second straight defeat in the EASL Home and Away Season 3, falling to the Taoyuan Pauian Pilots, 82-72, on Sunday at the Taoyuan Arena in Taipei.

Imports Ismael Romero and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson led the fightback with huge performances. Romero posting 26 points and 17 rebounds, and Hollis-Jefferson adding 22 markers, 14 boards, and four assists, but their efforts fell short after trailing by as much as 17.

Meralco now drops to 0-2 in Group B, a disappointing start for a team that entered the season with confidence, anticipating the arrival of Justin Brownlee, who has yet to join the roster.

Meanwhile, William Artino powered the Pilots with 20 points and 17 rebounds to lift them to a 2-0 record atop the group standings.

The Bolts also lost composure late in the first half when consultant Nenad Vucinic was ejected for back-to-back technical fouls, leaving coach Luigi Trillo to steer the team’s comeback attempt.

“We battled back and did enough to make it manageable,” said Trillo, as Meralco trimmed a 17-point deficit to just six in the final minute before running out of time.