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Terrence Romeo showed composure and maturity as he came back strong in the fourth as the Nationals rallied from 13 points down. Dennis Acosta/Dugout Philippines
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By Mark Joshua Castro
QUEZON CITY--Terrence Romeo scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter after struggling to find his rhythm in the first three quarters of the game, while Calvin Abueva added eight fourth quarter points of his own to pace Gilas' comeback to down Wellington, 84-81, in their Master Gameface MVP Cup match at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Saturday night.
Abueva started the run with three straight buckets in crunch time, and despite just scoring four points in the first three quarters, Romeo showed composure and maturity as he came back strong in the fourth as the Nationals rallied from 13 points down.
Romeo's clutch back-to-back triples gave Gilas their first lead since the first period at 78-76, completing the comeback.
Wellington got the lead back, but Abueva forced his way in to get his two points from a goaltending violation, Romeo sealed the deal with his clutch free throws with less than eight seconds in the ball game.
Gilas, which clinched the championship with the win, can complete a sweep of the MVP Cup by beating Chinese Taipei on Sunday.
Box Scores:
Gilas 84-Romeo 18, Blatche 16, Abueva, 10, Taulava, 9, De Ocampo 9, Castro 7, Hontiveros 6, Intal 5, Pingris 4, Norwood 0, Thoss 0, Ganuelas 0
Wellington 81-Braswell 25, Edwards 17, Turner 17, Davis 12, Ekenasio 4, Ruscoe 3, Mills 2, Watkins 1, Bloxham 0
Quarterscores: 20-23, 38-42, 54-65, 84-81
Follow the writer on Twitter: @AirJoshuaCastro
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