Meralco regroups for Philippine Cup following quarterfinal loss in Basketball Champions League Asia

The Meralco Bolts suffered heartbreak on Wednesday, June 11, after falling to Mongolian side Ulaanbaatar Xac Broncos, 83–78, in the quarterfinals of the 2025 Basketball Champions League Asia at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.

Meralco’s loss meant they failed to secure a spot in the semifinals of the tournament. What hurt the team even more was blowing a 13-point lead late in the first quarter.

Only import Jordon Varnado showed some fight for Meralco, posting a double-double of 23 points and 14 rebounds, while star player and captain Chris Newsome struggled, finishing scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting.

Miller doing Miller things 😮‍💨#BCLAsia pic.twitter.com/LPzQKsDtHL

— Basketball Champions League Asia (@BCL_Asia) June 11, 2025

“We started well and then we disappeared for a couple of quarters. We managed to come back towards the end of the game, had a chance to win, but probably overall, we deserved to lose that game,” said Meralco consultant Nenad Vucinic after the loss.

“I think we played okay, but we cannot be happy about losing in the quarterfinals. It was a great experience for us, because not many Filipino teams play in international competitions,” he added.

The Bolts have gained international experience in recent years, having participated in the last two seasons of the East Asia Super League (EASL), where they fell one win short of securing a Final Four berth in February 2025.

Meralco ended their 2025 Basketball Champions League Asia campaign with a 1–2 win-loss record, both in the group stage and the quarterfinals. The defeat also means that the Bolts failed to qualify for the FIBA Intercontinental Cup in Singapore, as only the four semifinalists of the Basketball Champions League Asia earn a place in the competition.

With their international campaign over, the Bolts will now shift their focus to the ongoing Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Philippine Cup, where they qualified for the playoffs after finishing the elimination round with a 6–5 record, placing eighth in the standings.

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