Romeo saves day as Gilas stuns China

Game Tomorrow (Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex, Beirut)

9 p.m. – Philippines vs Iraq

Terrence Romeo scored eight points in the final four minutes as Gilas Pilipinas averted disaster with a gallant 96-87 victory over perennial powerhouse China last night to start off its campaign on a resounding note in the FIBA Asia Cup in Beirut, Lebanon.

Romeo knocked down clutch jumpers during the said duration to help Gilas produce a stirring finish after squandering several 17-point leads that allowed the Chinese to rally back and take an 87-84 lead at the Nouhad Nawfal Sports Complex.

The GlobalPort Batang Pier star tied the contest with a left elbow three, scored a fadeaway jumper from the free throw line before unloading a three-point shot from 25 feet to put Gilas ahead 92-87 going into the final two minutes.

He finished with 26 points in perhaps his best game in a major FIBA competition to complete a morale-boosting victory for a Gilas side being hounded by the absence of naturalized player Andray Blatche and June Mar Fajardo playing the role of cheerleader in Beirut due to a strained right calf.

Gilas came out strong right from the get-go by scoring seven straight points, even as 6-foot-8 players Christian Standhardinger, Raymond Almazan and Japeth Aguilar showing great resolve against the taller counterparts, much to the delight of those who saw the live telecast.

The Nationals faced adversity late in the first quarter when Calvin Abueva was ejected with a headbutt on Chinese forward Li Gen. Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy and Matthew Wright and Romeo, however, kept the Gilas tempo in frenetic pace and built a huge lead that forced China, forced to sit ace guard Guo Ailun because of early foul trouble, to play catch up.

But China, parading a team different from the 2015 version that beat Gilas in the final held Changsha, responded in the third with seven threes before Guo came back and made key jumpers and crisp passes that led to inside points.

For the moment, Gilas looked like it would suffer the same meltdown as in past international battles. Romeo, though, came through with a game to remember.

Standhardinger had 15 points and six rebounds while Almazan scored nine points, including a pair of rim-rattling dunks in the second.

Guo finished with 18 points and five assists for China.

PHILIPPINES 96 – Romeo 26, Standhardinger 15, Castro 13, Wright 12, Pogoy 9, Almazan 9, Aguilar 7, Norwood 3, Abueva 2, Cruz 0, Jalalon 0.

CHINA 87 – Guo 18, Zhou 17, Hu 13, Li G. 11, Liu 9, Wu 6, Ren 4, Han 4, Gu 3, Yu 2, Zeng 0.

Quarters: 26-16; 53-39; 76-70; 96-87.

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by JONAS TERRADO

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