Romeo lifts Gilas over China

Terrence Romeo hasn’t made a splash so far in his Gilas debut. Photo from Fiba.com

Gilas Pilipinas had a welcome development in its string of tuneup games as it edged China, 72-69, at The Paladozza in Bologna, Italy early Monday morning (Manila time).

A 63-63 tie late in the fourth stood for almost a minute before Terrence Romeo hit the go-ahead triple at the 3:12 mark giving the Filipinos a 66-63 lead.

This provided enough cushion for Gilas to hold off the Chinese selection, which didn’t have the services of Yi Jianlian, as Marc Pingris scored on a second-chance bucket to push the lead to 71-67 with 1:39 remaining.

Chinese protege Zhou Qi suited up, but he only played nine minutes.

Romeo was the high-point man for Gilas as he finished with 18 points while Andre Blatche had a 12-point, 14-rebound double-double.

Zhou Peng had a well-rounded game to lead China as he finished with 18 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists.

Calvin Abueva and LA Tenorio, who were cut from the final lineup, did not play for Gilas.