MANILA, Philippines – On Wednesday, May 15, in their PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup quarterfinal matchup against Terrafirma, Terrence Romeo was a key player for San Miguel in the team’s eventual victory.

On Wednesday, May 15, at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium, San Miguel defeated Terrafirma 110-91 in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup quarterfinal round, showcasing Terrence Romeo’s offensive arsenal.

Romeo looked like the Romeo of old on the court, complete with ooh-inducing ball handling abilities and timely jumpers.

Jorge Gallent, the coach, thought so.

Gallent praised his valued ward, Terrence, who scored 19 points, saying, “Give him all the credit because he just came out playing. It’s like the old Terrence now.”

The flashy guard scored seven points in a two-minute span during the Beermen’s 11-3 run in the fourth quarter. He scored on a layup, a three, and a jump shot to give San Miguel a 92-76 lead with over six minutes remaining in the game.

Beyond Romeo’s offensive output, though, Gallent praised the former Far Eastern U star’s defensive work in the game that allowed the Beermen to crush the overachieving Dyip’s hopes and set up a semifinal matchup with Rain or Shine, which earned a spot in the semifinals by defeating TNT in a thrilling 110-109 victory later in the evening.

“Terrence is a great player, offensively and defensively. He played well today on both sides. He played well on offense, and he played well on defense today,” stated Gallent. 

Gallent now hopes that as San Miguel prepares for a best-of-seven semifinal match, the former UAAP MVP can continue his impressive play.

“We had to grind today to get this win. ‘Yung score is nothing kasi it was really a tight match until the middle of the third or start of the fourth. It was a very good grind for us,” Gallent said.

Meanwhile, SMB prevails against Terrafirma in a do-or-die match, resuming its title bid.

Beermen save the day and go to the semifinals. In their do-or-die quarterfinal encounter on Wednesday, SAN Miguel prevented a massive upset in the PBA 48th Season Philippine Cup by defeating Terrafirma, 110-91, through an offensive barrage in the third quarter.

In the third quarter of the game that might have gone either way at Ninoy Aquino Stadium, the Beermen defeated the Dyip 34–22 to secure a Final Four spot and restart their title campaign.

For the top-seeded Beermen, who will play either TNT or Rain or Shine in the semifinals that start on Friday at the Mall of Asia Arena, June Mar Fajardo controlled the paint with 25 points and 22 rebounds.

San Miguel had to play a do-or-die game after falling to No. 8 Terrafirma 106-95 last Saturday, but they made it to the semifinals the hard way.

After falling down by as many as seven points in the first half, the Beermen faced the possibility of a repetition before mounting a tremendous comeback in the third quarter.

“We started the game by applying a lot of pressure and forcing them to step outside of their comfort zone. Coach Jorge Gallent of San Miguel praised the team’s effort and discipline on defense today, saying that Alfrancis Chua, the company’s sports director, had done a great job inspiring them before the game.

After scoring 10 points in the third quarter, San Miguel blasted an 18-4 lead in the third quarter, going to Fajardo down low. With 11 points in the fourth quarter, Fajardo maintained his dominance as the Beermen finally led by as much as 20 points.

In addition, Terrence Romeo, who finished with 19 points on 8 of 18 from the field, gave San Miguel firepower. For the Beermen, Don Trollano and CJ Perez each scored eighteen points.

For the Dyip, Stephen Holt and Juami Tiongson both scored eighteen points, while Javi Gomez de Liano finished with twenty-three points and six rebounds.

Scores at the end of the match

San Miguel 110 points
Individual scores: Fajardo 25, Romeo 19, Trollano 18, Perez 18, Cruz 11, Lassiter 8, Ross 5, Tautuaa 4, Brondial 2, Enciso 0.

Terrafirma 91 points
Individual scores: Gomez De Liano 23, Holt 18, Tiongson 18, Cahilig 12, Go 7, Camson 7, Carino 4, Ramos 2, Alolino 0, Mina 0, Sangalang 0.