TERRENCE Romeo admitted TNT KaTropa did shot itself in the foot in the 111-89 blowout loss it suffered at the hands of Magnolia in the PBA Commissioner's Cup on Wednesday night.
“Ang goal namin is makapasok sa top two kaya kailangan talagang mas pagbutihan namin sa next games namin,” he said after finishing with 17 points, seven assists, and four rebounds in a losing cause.
The defeat ended the KaTropa’s three-game winning streak and dropped them to third place with a 6-2 record.
But more than that, what was more worrying was how a team that boasts of a hulking import in Joshua Smith still got dominated off the boards by the Hotshots, 55-38.
No wonder the Hotshots scored more fastbreak points (14-8), second chance points (24-15), and points off turnovers (23-9).
Romeo, who joined the KaTropa in a trade this season, admitted TNT is still weighed down by a lack of chemistry, but is confident the team is finally coming around.
“Yung chemistry ng team, malapit na,” he said. “Pero alam naming kailangan pa rin namin yun na i-work out. First time namin na makasama si Josh na talo kami.
"Kaya kailangan naming i-assess ang mistakes namin at mga dapat naming gawin sa mga teams na mahiling mag-pressure tulad ng Magnolia at Alaska dahil sila ang dalawang teams na nakatalo sa amin.”
Romeo hopes for a better result in the KaTropa’s next game on Saturday against San Miguel, a face-off that can make or break their quest for one of two twice-to-beat spots in the quarterfinals.
“Kung same pa rin ang pagkakamali namin, ganun pa rin ang mangyayari. Kaya kailangan naming maging mas aggressive at mas ma-recognize namin ang mga mismatch,” he said.