Abra Weavers hold off Hong Kong Eastern 79-72 in EASL debut in Cebu

The Abra Weavers beat Hong Kong Eastern 79-72 on Saturday night, October 3, 2026, in their first game in the East Asia Super League (EASL), played at the SM Seaside arena in Cebu.

It was Abra's debut in the league. According to SunStar, the Weavers controlled most of the game in front of a packed arena but had to hold off a strong Hong Kong Eastern comeback in the closing minutes. Cebu Daily News, in the headline of its report, said Cebuano fans turned out to back the Weavers. Manila Standard and BusinessMirror also reported the Abra win.

How the Weavers won

SunStar reported that Abra's biggest lead of the night was 12 points, at 52-40, midway through the third quarter. A second SunStar report said the Weavers were up by 11 points going into the fourth quarter.

Abra kept that cushion when Jaylen Johnson hit a long three-pointer to make it 69-57 with 4:32 left in the game.

Hong Kong Eastern did not fold. Akili Vining replied at once with a three, and Jenning Leung added another three-pointer inside the final 120 seconds to cut the gap to 75-70.

Veteran center Michael Eric then scored a key basket in the last minutes to secure the win, according to SunStar. The paper's other report credited Fadi Ibrahim with taking over late in the game and scoring important points to protect the lead.

Who scored

Ibrahim and Johnson led Abra with 14 points each. Ibrahim added four rebounds and three assists, while Johnson had four rebounds and four assists. Derrick Fenner contributed 13 points.

Eric finished with 10 points and five rebounds, including several powerful dunks that pleased the Cebuano crowd, SunStar said. Malick Diouf scored only four points but pulled down 12 rebounds inside. Dave Ildefonso had nine points, and SunStar called him the best local player on the court.

For Hong Kong Eastern, Vining was the game's top scorer with 26 points, along with eight assists and four rebounds. Leung scored 20 points, making six of his 13 shots from three-point range. Ramon Cao added 13 points.

What the coach and players said

In a post-game interview, Abra head coach Garcia said his team's defensive scheme ran into trouble during Hong Kong's rally, so he reminded his players to focus on defense, SunStar reported. He called the win a morale boost but warned against complacency, saying preparation and full effort are the keys to success.

In SunStar's other report, Garcia said the team had expected an exciting game because Hong Kong Eastern is a tough side and a champion in its own league, and that Abra simply followed its game plan. He described Ibrahim as very important to the team, saying he had asked him to score and set up plays, and Ibrahim delivered.

Ildefonso said many Weavers players want to prove themselves, himself included, along with Fenner, who still wants to show he plays at a high level at his age, and Eric. He called the game "a character win for us." He also said the crowd was wild and that the imports helped the team contain Hong Kong.

The other game

In the other game, the Taipei Fubon Braves defeated Macau Hou Chon 103-89. SunStar described Macau as tournament debutants and said the result opened the Braves' 2026-27 season.

Marko Todorovic led the Braves with 30 points, 17 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks. SunStar noted that he was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers of the NBA in 2013. Chou Kuei-Yu added 27 points on 68.8 percent shooting. Phoenix Shackelford led an undermanned Macau side with 23 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and four steals.