Romeo on ejection: I need to be smarter next time

Terrence Romeo walks back to his team’s bench. Photo by Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net

Alaska re-asserted its mastery of GlobalPort with an 82-69 drubbing Friday night for a 2-1 lead in the semifinals.

Not only were the Batang Pier given a harsh reality of the playoffs in the PBA Philippine Cup, their star guard Terrence Romeo got ejected for the first time in his PBA career.

Romeo, who finished with only 17 points, said his emotions caught up with him leading him to walk to the locker room halfway through the fourth after getting his second technical foul.

READ: Alaska frustrates Romeo, GlobalPort for 2-1 semis lead

“Maybe it was the emotions running high, I need to be smarter next time,” Romeo said in Filipino Friday at Mall of Asia Arena.

Romeo, though, is not the only one who needs to focus more on the game as the Batang Pier shot a collective 27 percent from the floor, 24-of-90.

Facing the traditional powerhouse Alaska in the playoffs, Romeo said it wasn’t the Aces physicality that threw them off their game.

“All of us are used to the physicality of the game, especially my teammates, but I think we need to become braver in the game, make every possession count, and play defense,” Romeo said. “We had wide-open shots but we just couldn’t convert.”