By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Ladies and gentlemen, the Terrence Romeo show is back in full display.
After a disappointing performance in Game 1 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals against the TNT Tropang Giga, Romeo finally found his stride and led the San Miguel Beermen to a 98-96 win to deadlock the series at one game apiece.
What was once a 19-point lead for the Tropang Giga suddenly vanished in a quarter-and-a-half soon as Romeo started to get hot from the field.
Entering the final quarter with a 15-point deficit, San Miguel rode the hot hands of Romeo as he scored 15 of his 26 points in the final 12 minutes of the ball game.
The scoring guard led the way after scoring seven straight points that helped the Beermen stay within striking distance of the ball game.
Costly turnovers from the side of the Tropang Giga also helped the veteran SMB team that just scored whenever they got to the offensive end.
Despite a quiet second-half from June Mar Fajardo who already scored 19 big points in the first two quarters alone, Romeo, Alex Cabagnot, and the rest of the guys put up crucial baskets when their team needed them the most.
With 1:30 remaining in the fourth and SMB facing a 92-93 deficit, free throws from Chris Ross and Lassiter helped them take over the lead, 96-93.
However, TNT answered back with a Troy Rosario three-pointer that deadlocked the ball game at 96.
Off an SMB timeout, head coach Leo Austria drew their patent go to post seal play for Fajardo but he missed the baby hook.
With three seconds left in a scramble play, Arwind Santos tipped the ball into their basket but bounced hard off the rim.
With every black shirt focused on getting the board and boxing out Fajardo, the leather suddenly fell into the hands of Lassiter who easily laid the ball into the basket.
“Regarding our energy, we were really drained. But my players showed how big their hearts are. We were down by 19 points but we kept on fighting,” said San Miguel head coach Leo Austria.
