Romeo shines in D-League debut as Gems trounce Ironmen

Terrence Romeo sparkled in his PBA D-League debut as Cebuana Lhuillier trounced Cobra Energy Drink, 58-47, Thursday in the Aspirants Cup at the Trinity University of Asia gym in Quezon City. Romeo, the 2010 UAAP Rookie of the Year, tallied 12 markers in his first game in the league after his second season with the Far Eastern University Tamaraws. The 5-foot-10 playmaker is a known offensive threat after scoring a UAAP-record 83 points while playing for the Baby Tamaraws in the juniors division. Romeo being a scorer will come in handy for the Gems, the runner-up in the inaugural Foundation Cup last conference. Despite the big win, Cebuana Lhuillier coach Luigi Trillo said their game still need some tweaking. "We played one-on-one basketball in the fourth quarter. The players are still adjusting and we are working on that." Newly-acquired Vic Manuel contributed eight points, 11 rebounds and two blocks while Carl Cruz, Romeo's FEU teammate, had eight markers and seven boards. Andrian Celada, Simon Atkins and James Mangahas combined for 18 points. Mangahas, Manuel and Celada sparked a 14-2 Gems run in the third period with Romeo scoring the team's final basket for a 45-31 lead entering the final quarter. A Robby Zablan basket put the Ironmen within seven, 50-43, but a Romeo three-pointer plus a Pari Llagas basket gave the Gems a 12-point bubble. Romeo hit another trey for good measure, 58-45, with two minutes and 54 seconds left in the game. — Reuben Terrado/JVP, GMA News