Games Today
(Smart Araneta Coliseum)
3 p.m. – Barako Bull vs Star
5:15 p.m. – NLEX vs Ginebra
Terrence Romeo scored eight of his 24 points in the extra period as Globalport defeated Mahindra in overtime, 118-116, to earn a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinal playoffs of the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
Struggling with his shooting particularly from the three-point territory, the 5-11 Romeo buried his first and only triple of the game after missing the first 14 that tied the score at 116 with 29.8 seconds to play.
After the Enforcers’ Karl Dehesa missed a three-point try, Romeo delivered the game’s biggest shot when he eluded his defender Michael Digregorio with a killer crossover for an easy layup for a 118-116 lead with 3.3 seconds left.
The desperation shot from half court by former Batang Pier guard Nards Pinto missed its target as time expired, which led to wild celebration by Globalport as teammates mobbed Romeo for his heroics.
The victory of Globalport not only extended its win streak to four, but more importantly, Batang Pier improved their record to 7-3 that gave them the bonus of twice-to-beat in the playoffs.
Romeo finished with 29 points on a miserable 5-of 22 shooting from the field but converted 18-of-21 free throws – including three shots from the foul line that cut the deficit to 108-111 with 2:31 to play in OT.
The former Gilas Pilipinas stalwart who sports a colorful ‘anime’ hairstyle had a solid all-around game as he grabbed 10 rebounds and was two assists shy of a triple double in more than 42 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard Stanley Pringle also finished with 29 points, highlighted by a short fade away jumper that forced OT. The Fil-Am guard also had eight boards, seven assists and two steals.
As for Mahindra, the setback was the team’s third straight as it fell to 11th spot in the standings with a 2-8 card, half game behind Blackwater (2-7) for the 10th and last playoff berth.
The Enforcers and the Elite will play on Sunday that will determine their respective quarterfinal bids.
Meanwhile, four teams try to improve their respective playoff positions as Star collides against Barako Bull while Barangay Ginebra San Miguel battle NLEX today at the Big Dome.
The game between the Energy (4-5) and the Hotshots (3-6) is scheduled at 3 p.m., while the Kings (5-4) and the Road Warriors (4-5) clash at 5:15 p.m.
Scores:
GLOBALPORT 118 – Pringle 29, Romeo 29, Mamaril 12, Washington 12, Yeo 11, Kramer 10, Semerad 7, Maierhofer 6, Uyloan 2, Pena 0, Sumang 0.
MAHINDRA 116 – Ramos 24, Dehesa 23, Digregorio 19, Yee 14, Guinto 11, Pascual 9, Canaleta 6, Laure 5, Pinto 4, Bagatsing 1, Hubalde 0.
Quarters: 23-22, 44-49, 79-72, 103-103, 118-116.