MANILA, Philippines – The Meralco Bolts lost to the Busan KCC Egis 72-68 at the Busan Sajik Gymnasium on Wednesday night in an exciting matchup of the EASL Home-and-Away Season 2. Even though Meralco had a significant lead late in the game, they were unable to stop Heo Ung’s offensive genius, which resulted in the home team’s incredible comeback triumph.

In the last seconds of the match, the 31-year-old former star of the Korean national team led Busan’s comeback. Heo made seven of his 12 three-point attempts, including four of the game’s most important long-range baskets in the last 4:02 of regulation. His incisive shooting sparked a 19–2 scoring burst that eliminated Meralco’s 13-point lead and gave Busan its first Group B victory of the competition.

Taking advantage of Heo’s heroics, Busan, the current Korean Basketball League (KBL) champions, proved their mettle on their home court. Heo finished as the game’s top scorer with 31 points, while Deon Burton made a substantial contribution to the win with 26 points.

With a victory that lifted their spirits, Busan KCC Egis improved their overall record in the EASL Home-and-Away Season 2 to 1-3. Following their tight 81-80 loss to the Meralco Bolts at the Philsports Arena last month, the victory was a welcome form of retaliation. The victory gave the defending Korean Basketball League (KBL) champions a much-needed lift in the rankings, even though Busan is still out of the postseason race.

Meralco, who had the lead for the majority of the match but collapsed in the last minutes, lost because they missed a chance. Leading the Bolts with 23 points and nine rebounds, DJ Kennedy put on a solid effort. Despite wearing a protective face mask following surgery for a fractured nose, Akil Mitchell triumphed with a double-double of 17 points and 18 rebounds. With one second remaining, Mitchell, who had made the game-winning basket to seal the Bolts’ earlier triumph over Busan, missed a jumper that would have sealed the victory.

Meralco seemed to be in control of the game with four minutes left, leading 66-53. But it cost them dearly that they were unable to keep up their defensive vigor and withstand Busan’s resolute attack. The home team overcame the Bolts and changed the momentum decisively with an amazing comeback lead by Heo Ung’s outstanding shooting effort. Busan’s first victory in Group B was secured by Heo’s clutch shooting in the closing minutes, which led an incredible run.

With a 2-2 record, Meralco is still in a strong position in Group B despite the loss, only behind the unbeaten Ryukyu Golden Kings. Nevertheless, the loss revealed weaknesses in their capacity to safeguard leads and function well under duress.

Akil Mitchell put up a solid double-double with 17 points and 18 rebounds, while DJ Kennedy paced the Bolts with 23 points and nine rebounds. Mitchell, who had surgery for a broken nose and was wearing a protective face mask while playing, missed a jumper with one second remaining that would have won the game.

The loss serves as a reminder to Meralco that they must improve their late-game performance if they want to improve their tournament campaign.

The victory demonstrated Busan’s tenacity and capacity to contend with formidable foes. Heo’s worth as an experienced team leader and dependable offensive weapon was highlighted by his performance in particular. The outcome also showed that Busan has the firepower to compete against more formidable teams, despite their poor start to the competition.

Both sides will want to improve on this game as the EASL Home-and-Away Season 2 goes on. Busan wants to maintain the momentum of this win into their next games, while Meralco will want to improve their late-game shortcomings.

Scores at the end of the match

Busan KCC with 72 points for the win
Individual scores: Heo 31, Burton 26, Choi 5, Williams 4, Lee 4, Lee G. 2, Epistola 0, Jung 0.

Meralco with 68 points

Individual scores: Kennedy 23, Mitchell 17, Kouame 8, Newsome 5, Hodge 3, Quinto 3, Caram 3, Black 2, Bates 2, Caram 2.

Scores per quarter:

13-12; 31-31: 51-50; 72-68.