IN just his second game as a pro, Terrence Romeo played like a true-blue star in leading Globalport to 114-100 win over Air21 for its first win in the PLDT myDSL-Philippine Cup on Saturday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Romeo, Globalport’s fifth overall rookie pick, poured in 26 of his PBA career-high 34 points in a dazzling second-half performance that drew raves from the sparse crowd that witnessed his star turn at the Big Dome.
The reigning UAAP MVP highlighted his red-hot shooting night by going six-of-nine from downtown. He shot five three-pointers in the second half alone when Globalport turned a one-point halftime lead to as big as 101-82 midway through the final period.
“It’s a good thing we were able to make our three-point shots because now we shot 10-of-27. That’s our forte as a team - move the ball around and sharing the ball,” said Globalport’s interim coach Ritchie Ticzon, who earned his first win as a PBA coach.
Ticzon called their prized recruit Romeo “special” after he surpassed his UAAP career high of 33 in only his second game in a Globalport uniform.
“He’s really special. Eveyrbody knows that. Even in the UAAP, we already knew he is special,” he added.
The win came as a huge emotional lift for Globalport after the sophomore team was beaten by an undermanned Petron side, 97-87 on Wednesday during both teams’ season debut.
Jay Washington chipped in 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Sol Mercado added 14, four rebounds and seven assists for the Batang Pier.
Joseph Yeo led the Express (0-2) with 24 points, while Asi Taulava added 21 and 15 boards in another losing effort.
The scores:
GlobalPort 114 - Romeo 34, Washington 19, Mercado 14, Ponferrada 8, Menk 7, Salvador 7, Garcia 7, Belencion 6, Najorda 6, Salva 4, Hayes 2.
Air21 100 - Yeo 24, Taulava 21, Jaime 13, Canaleta 11, Custodio 8, Manuel 8, Camson 6, Espiritu 3, Sharma 3, Ritualo 3, Menor 0, Arboleda 0.
Quarters: 20-18, 47-46, 83-74, 114-10
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