Romeo catches fire as Beermen outlast Gin Kings in OT to tie series

MANILA, Philippines -- Terrence Romeo erupted in the fourth quarter and overtime to aid the San Miguel Beermen quell a spirited run by Barangay Ginebra, 131-125, to tie their PBA Governors' Cup semis series Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Romeo fired 22 of his 26 points in the final 17 minutes of the game, including nine in overtime, to help San Miguel equalize the series at one game apiece.

Ginebra took a two-point lead, 114-112, with 3:51 remaining in overtime after a pair of free throws by Japeth Aguilar.

Romeo then sank a jumper on the other end, before Stephen Holt connected from 3-point territory to give the Gin Kings a 117-114 lead.

The spitfire guard, though, was not finished.

Romeo answered with a 3-pointer in the next possession and hit a 4-pointer after an RJ Abarrientos miss to give San Miguel a commanding 121-117 lead with 2:06 remaining.

After Justin Brownlee missed on a trey, Marcio Lassiter hit a deuce to give the Beermen a six point lead.

Brownlee then completed a three-point play to keep the Gin Kings alive, but Lassiter kept Ginebra at bay with a 3-pointer.

Ahanmisi quickly responded with a triple of his own, before the game turned into a free throw shooting contest down the stretch.

Freebies by EJ Anosike and Jericho Cruz iced the game up for San Miguel, which finally put a win on the board.

“They really got challenged really well, especially when Ginebra came back from an 11 point deficit. So, we just stuck to our game plan, to what we have been practicing. Fortunately, that thing will come out naman,” Beermen head coach Jorge Gallent told reporters after the game.

“What’s nice about it is they also did not panic. And they just went through with the flow of their offense,” he added.

Anosike led the winning team with 35 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Perez backstopped with 28 points, 12 rebounds and seven assists, while June Mar Fajardo had 23 markers and 21 boards.

Brownlee led all scorers with 39 markers, 15 boards, seven dimes, four blocks and four steals in the losing effort. Aguilar added 29 points for Ginebra.

The Beermen led by 11 points, 90-79, early on in the fourth quarter before the Gin Kings stormed back.

Ginebra tied things up at 97 after a Scottie Thompson triple capped a 18-7 run.

After Romeo answered back with a deuce, Brownlee scored on a free throw and a 4-pointer to give Ginebra the lead, 102-99. This was extended to four after a split from the line by Aguilar, before Romeo retaliated with a pullup triple to make it a one point game, 102-103, with 1:16 remaining in regulation.

Anosike gave San Miguel the lead, but Brownlee replied with a 3-pointer to give the Gin Kings a 106-104 advantage.

Perez tied things up at 106, before Brownlee gave them the advantage anew with a gliding layup.

On the other end, Romeo danced with Ahanmisi, but missed. Marcio Lassiter was able to haul down the rebound and found Perez, who dialed in from 4-point territory to give San Miguel a 110-108 lead with 2.4 ticks to go.

On the other end, Ahanmisi backed down against Romeo, who fouled the guard. The former, then, made two free throws to bring the game to overtime, setting up the furious finish.

Game 3 will be on Sunday, 5 p.m., at the Dasmariñas Arena in Cavite.