GlobalPort nips creaky Ginebra

TERRENCE Romeo topped off what could be considered as an ordinary game by his standards with the biggest three-point shot last night as GlobalPort dealt Barangay Ginebra a second straight loss in the Oppo PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations.

Romeo drained a triple under heavy pressure with 55.5 seconds left that keyed an 89-85 decision of the Gin Kings as the Batang Pier bounced back from their lethargic debut and kept the crowd-darlings winless at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The spike-haired national team guard finished with just 21 points—a far cry from the 41 he dropped in a losing cause to Mahindra on Wednesday—but got a lot of support this time as the Batang Pier showed their worth.

GlobalPort finished with five straight points and erased an 84-85 deficit as Ginebra, even with the return of the 7-foot Greg Slaughter, again started slow under Tim Cone for the second successive conference.

GINEBRA’S Othyus Jeffers follows up his own miss off GlobalPort’s Brian Williams in last night’s game at Smart Araneta Coliseum. AUGUST DELA CRUZ

“It was total team effort, and at the same time, I appreciate the way we played defense,” GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio, who admitted to being challenged by a graphic shown at the venue’s big screen that they had “no defense” against Mahindra.

Meanwhile, Blackwater got big games from a trio of locals and won a first game after nipping Mahindra, 110-102, in the curtain-raiser.

Carlo Lastimosa, who has become an offensive revelation since his transfer from defunct Barako Bull, scattered 26 points, and Reil Cervantes was unusually sharp in the fourth period as the Elite tied the Enforcers at 1-1.

The Blackwater victory left idle Meralco on top of the standings at 2-0.

Romeo got off to a hot start, shooting 11 in the first period as the Batang Pier went into the second frame with a 33-20 lead.

It appeared to be the same kind of night for Romeo who cooled off and was scoreless in the third. Jarencio, though, gave him the ball when the Batang Pier went into the final minute needing to overcome that one-point deficit.

“That play was really for him, for Terrence to have the ball and do whatever he wanted,” Jarencio said. “He has the confidence and took that three-point shot.”

Slaughter came back from a bout with the measles to shoot 20 points, but the Gin Kings struggled all game with import Othyus Jeffers finishing with just eight.

The scores:

First Game

BLACKWATER 110—Lastimosa 26, Cervantes 24, Dela Cruz 19, Rhett 19, Reyes 12, Cortez 5, Gamalinda 2, Golla 2, Bulawan 1, Canada 0.

MAHINDRA 102—Gilchrist 34, Dehesa 14, Canaleta 13, Ramos 10, Yee 8, Jaime 7, Bagatsing 5, Pinto 5, Digregorio 2, Guinto 2, Revilla 2, Alvarez 0, Hubalde 0.

Quarters: 25-20, 43-49, 77-75, 110-102

Second Game

GLOBALPORT 89—Romeo 21, Williams 19, Pringle 14, Mamaril 12, Semerad 7, Kramer 6, Jensen 5, Uyloan 3, Taha 2, Maierhofer 0, Sumang 0, Washington 0, Yeo 0.

GINEBRA 85—Slaughter 20, Aguilar 16, Mercado 11, Caguioa 10, Jeffers 8, Thompson 8, Cruz 4, Ellis 4, Tenorio 4, Devance 0.

Quarters: 33-20, 56-43, 70-65, 89-85