MERALCO rose to the challenge outclassed Japan kingpin Utsunomiya, 97-86, to secure its ticket to the quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League Asia on Sunday night in Dubai.

Facing a must-win after their opening 87-101 loss to home club Shahab Al Ahli, the Bolts put together a high-powered performance for the whole 40 minutes to pull it off against the debuting Brex.

The reigning PBA Philippine Cup rulers were wiser after the heartbreaker against the Emirati club in Friday’s Group B inaugurals, where they faded in the finish after taking an 11-point lead in the second period.

As in the Red Knights gig, the Bolts went on a second-quarter rampage, leading the B League powerhouse by as many as 15 before settling for a 50-38 margin at the break.

But this time, Meralco held on firmly and followed through to the delight of roaring Filipino supporters at the Sheikh Saeed Bin Maktoum Sports Hall.

“We wanted to make the quarterfinals and we were worried, honestly, to lose this game. There was a big chance that we wouldn’t make it (with a 0-2 record),” said Meralco active consultant Nenad Vucinic.

“It was a very difficult game for us. It was a pressure-packed game. But I think we showed that we can perform under pressure,” added Mr. Vucinic.

Jordon Varnado dished out 17 points, six rebounds and six assists to lead five players in double figures for the Bolts.

Chris Banchero and Gwynn Watson matched Mr. Varnado’s scoring output, taking the cudgels in the 10-4 salvo in Quarter 2 that sparked their breakaway to 48-33.

With Chris Newsome held to only four, Cliff Hodge stepped up on offense and banged in 16 on a 7-of-8 clip as third import John Egbunu registered a 12-13 off the bench. — Olmin Leyba

The scores

Meralco 97 — Banchero 17, Watson 17, Varnado 17, Hodge 16, Egbunu 12, Almazan 8, Black 6, Newsome 4, Quinto 0.

Utsunomiya 86 — Fotu 20, Newbill 15, Delany 12, Hiejima 11, Takeuchi 9, Ogawa 8, Endo 6, Takashima 3, Watanabe 2, Murakishi 0, Hoshikawa 0, Ikaruga 0.

Quarterscores: 20-18; 50-38; 77-63; 97-86

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