PUERTO PRINCESA – Matt Ganuelas-Rosser showed on Friday night a glimpse of what should be expected of him.
The 6-foot-6 forward teamed up with Talk ‘N Text teammate Kevin Alas to help the Rookies win bragging rights over the Sophomores, 150-131, before a jampacked crowd at the Puerto Princesa City Coliseum.
With Rosser leading the way, the Rookies relied on their athleticism, speed, and a little bit of teamwork to dominate the Sophomores from the second quarter onwards to post the blowout win.
Selected fourth overall by NLEX in last year’s rookie draft, Granuelas banged in 24 of his 32 points in the second half while adding eight rebounds to win MVP honors in a match that served as primer to Sunday’s All-Star game.
“We just want to come out here and put on a show,” said the 24-year-old former Gilas Pilipinas stalwart. “It’s fun out here and I’m happy to have the opportunity to play before a great crowd.”
Alas, another fast-rising star for the Tropang Texters and son of Alaska deputy Louie Alas, led the Rookies with 35 points and teamed up with Ganuelas-Rosser in the freshmen squad’s blazing second-half onslaught.
Stanley Pringle, the top rookie pick last year, added 22 points, while Anthony Semerad added 18 for the Rookies.
Terrence Romeo, the high-scoring GlobalPort gunner who earlier won the Three-Point Shootout, led the Sophomores with 50 points.
The 5-foot-10 former Far Eastern University star also executed a windmill dunk with the help of teammate Raymond Almazan towards the dying seconds of the match that drew loud cheers from the overflow crowd.
Almazan added 20 points for the Sophomores.
The scores:
Quarterscores: 43-33; 76-65; 110-92; 150-131.
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