The newest member of the Gilas Pilipinas squad, Terrence Romeo lead his team in the first game of the national team in the MVP Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Friday night by pouring out a total of 22 points to defeat the Talk ‘N Text squad with the final score at 93-77.
Terrence Romeo of GlobalPort continued his good game from the Jones Cup and into the final preparation of Gilas Pilipinas with his incredible plays and aggressive drive to the basket, including his four triples during the game against the PBA champion.
Veteran Gilas mainstays Jayson Castro contributed with 14 points while Andray Blatche and Ranidel de Ocampo added with 12 points apiece as they prepared for the next assignment against the tougher Wellington Saints of Zealand.
The New Zealand team is also determined to win the championship and want to avenge their previous loss against the Gilas Pilipinas as they also open the tournament with a victory over the Chinese Taipei national team.
Gilas Pilipinas naturalized center Andray Blatche finally joined his Gilas team mates after missing the Jones Cup and proved his worth as one of the country’s toughest big man although he struggled with his shooting earlier but the coaching staff believes Blatche could recover his touches in the next few games of the Gilas Pilipinas.
The scores:
Gilas Pilipinas 93 – Romeo 22, Castro 14, Blatche 12, De Ocampo 12, Abueva 8, Intal 7, Taulava 6, Thoss 6, Ganuelas 4, Pingris 2, Hontiveros 0, Norwood 0.
Talk n Text 77 – Fonacier 20, Tautuaa 16, Rodriguez 12, Seigle 8, Rosario 5, Sumalinog 5, Reyes R. 3, Miranda 2, Carey 2, Reyes JA 2, Labagala 2, Espiritu 0.
Quarterscores: 23-22, 45-40, 69-52, 93-77