MANILA, Philippines: American import Zach Lofton dropped 54 points in his PBA debut as he powered the Meralco Bolts to a 125-99 demolition of the NorthPort Batang Pier in their 2023-24 PBA Commissioner's Cup collision on Sunday at the Philsports Arena.
Taking the spot of the injured Suleiman Braimoh, the 6-foot-3 Lofton provided the fireworks to lead the Bolts to their third straight win and improve to 5-1 overall.

'The team, they believed in me, they helped me get my shots and ultimately I wanted to help get the win and we did,' Lofton said after the game.
The former New Mexico standout peppered the bewildered Batang Pier with nine triples on the way to shooting 17-of-29 overall.
The American import added seven rebounds and four assists for the Bolts.
Lofton's awesome-inspiring offensive, was the most made by an import in a PBA debut since Blackwater's Troy Williams delivered 55 markers in last season's Governors' Cup.
The loss, meanwhile saw the end of NorthPort's three-game winning streak as the boys of coach Bonnie Tan fell to 5-3.
Veteran wingman Allein Maliksi played for the first time since fracturing his nose, contributing 18 points on an efficient 7-of-10 shooting.
Local bog man Raymund Almazan added 11 and 15 boards.
The NorthPort loss spoiled the career-effort of rookie guard Fran Yu, who scored a team-high 31 points.
The former Letran star's 31 markers were the most points made by a rookie since Ato Ular's 34 in a 91-89 Blackwater win against Phoenix on July 8, 2022 in last season's Philippine Cup, as per league chief stats man Fidel Mangonon.
Yu's scoring exploits was also the most points by a rookie in franchise history since Terrence Romeo had 34 in a 114-110 win versus Air21 in the 2014 Philippine Cup.