Bolts come up short vs Seoul SK Knights in EASL thriller

MANILA, Philippines -- The Meralco Bolts absorbed an 81-80 heartbreaker against the Seoul SK Knights in their East Asia Super League (EASL) clash Wednesday at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

The Bolts had a chance to win the game late, as they trailed by just one with 6.6 seconds remaining after a crucial stop.

Meralco guard Chris Banchero received the inbound pass and drove to the basket.

He then bounced the ball to import Prince Ibeh, who had a clear lane to the rim, but the ball slipped from his fingers.

Sunhyung Kim completed the steal as he dribbled the clock out.

After Meralco trimmed a 14-point first half deficit to just eight heading into the final quarter, 64-56, Youngjun An made a 3-pointer to hike the lead to double digits anew.

The Knights led by as much as 12 points, 62-74, early on in the fourth quarter following a 3-pointer by Jaehyun Oh.

The Bolts then turned it to a seven-point deficit as they unleashed an 8-3 run capped by a layup by Cliff Hodge.

Kim made a layup off the timeout to extend the lead to nine, 79-70, once again.

Meralco, however, would not go down just like that, unleashing a 10-2 run down the stretch.

The Bolts were able to stop Seoul from scoring in the final three minutes of the game, but they were unable to get over the hump.

A Zach Lofton layup cut the lead to one, 81-80, with 1:48 remaining, setting the stage for the heart-stopping finish.

Jameel Warney, who played all 40 minutes for the Knights, finished with 31 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Youngjun added 19 markers.

Lofton led the Bolts once again, finishing with 32 points, seven rebounds and two assists.

Ibeh and Chris Newsome had 13 points apiece.

Seoul rose to 2-2 in the EASL, while Meralco dropped to 1-3.