Romeo waxes hot late as San Miguel outlasts Barangay Ginebra in OT, evens semis to 1-1

Terrence Romeo became the hero for San Miguel as the Beermen outlasted Barangay Ginebra in overtime, 131-125, in Game 2 of the PBA Governors' Cup best-of-seven semis series on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The series is now even at 1-1.

In the fourth quarter alone, Romeo drilled three triples as the Beermen held off Barangay Ginebra despite its 34-point romp, while San Miguel had 25. 

CJ Perez almost won the game for San Miguel in regulation as his four-pointer gave the Beermen a 110-108 lead, but Romeo's foul on Maverick Ahanmisi brought the latter on the line and his freebies put the game to overtime, 110-all.

As Barangay Ginebra led 114-112 in the extra period, Romeo made a personal run as he came prepared for the big moment.

At the 3:30 mark, Romeo scored to tie the game. Stephen Holt answered with a triple to give Barangay Ginebra the lead but Romeo came to the rescue with his own triple to put the game at 117-all.

RJ Abarrientos missed his own three-point attempt but Romeo went on fire and connected from beyond the second arc to give San Miguel the lead.

Marcio Lassiter then joined the party as he widened SMB's margin to 123-117, but Brownlee completed a three-point play to inch closer anew.

A shooter as always, Lassiter sank a triple again, but Ahanmisi answered with his own to put Ginebra within three, 126-123 with less than a minute left.

Eventually, free throws from EJ Anosike and Jericho Cruz sealed the win for the Beermen.

"We just stuck to our game plan and did what we do in practice," SMB head coach Jorge Gallent said.

San Miguel had its biggest lead at 13, 74-61, in the third period.

"Ready lang ako every game. Thank God na-shoot ko mga tira ko. It's a team effort talaga," added Romeo.

Overall, Romeo had 26 points, 13 from the fourth and nine from overtime, and had a perfect shooting clip from the three-point arc. June Mar Fajardo had 23 points, 21 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, while Perez had 28 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. Reinforcement Anosike, on the other hand, had 35 points, nine rebounds, and two assists.

The win spoiled Brownlee's 39-point, 15-rebound outing, alongside seven assists, four steals, and four blocks. Japeth Aguilar, meanwhile, had 29 points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a block, while Scottie Thompson had 16 points, ten assists, six boards, and a block.

Game 3 of the series will be played on Sunday.

Scores:

San Miguel 131 – Anosike 35, Perez 28, Romeo 26, Fajardo 23, Lassiter 12, Cruz 5, Tautuaa 2, Ross 0, Rosales 0, Trollano 0, Enciso 0, Manuel 0.

Ginebra 125 – Brownlee 39, J.Aguilar 29, Thompson 16, Ahanmisi 15, Holt 14, Abarrientos 4, Tenorio 3, Cu 2, Devance 2, Pinto 1, Pessumal 0, Adamos 0.

Quarters: 22-24, 51-47, 85-76, 110-110, 131-125.

—JKC, GMA Integrated News.