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MANILA, Philippines – Calvin Abueva poured a game-high 26 points in a familiar role coming off the bench to lead Gilas Pilipinas to a 125-112 win over the PBA Visayas All-Stars, capping off the 2017 PBA All-Star Week on Sunday, April 30 at the Hoops Dome in Cebu.
Abueva, who is used to subbing in with the second unit at Alaska, shot 9-of-15 from the field and pulled down 7 rebounds plus two steals, as Gilas rallied from a 15-point deficit in the first half in a second come-from-behind win this week.
Terrence Romeo sizzled for 4-of-6 from deep to notch 25 points and dish out 4 assists in what was the first game of the Philippine national team’s final 12-man lineup for the 2017 SEABA Championships next month. Romeo was also named All-Star MVP.
June Mar Fajardo anchored Gilas in the middle – with naturalized big man Andray Blatche absent in this game – as he finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy added 14 and 10 markers, respectively, as Gilas completed a 32-point turnaround when they led the All-Stars by as many as 17 points.
Japeth Aguilar gave Gilas a scare when he sprained his ankle in the first half but promptly returned to the game after re-taping it.
It was a familiar narrative as Gilas likewise clawed out of a double-digit deficit in Lucena during the second All-Star leg on Friday. The first leg in Cagayan de Oro saw the Mindanao All-Stars and Gilas battle to a tie.
LA Tenorio led the Tim Cone-coached Visayas All-Stars with 19 points and 4 assists, while James Yap and Jeff Chan conspired for 10 triples between them for 18 and 17 points, respectively.
The game wrapped up a full All-Star week that consisted of 3 legs in 3 cities across the country, 3 dance-offs, 3 games, the annual side events, and a number of outreach programs and clinics with fans.
The 2017 Commissioner’s Cup will resume once more on Wednesday, May 3, while Gilas players will now go full throttle in its preparations for the SEABA Championships, where only the winner will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup come August.
Players in the final 12 will already be pulled out from their mother ballclubs in the coming weeks until the tournament slated for May 12 to 18 here.
Scores:
Gilas Pilipinas (125): Abueva 26, Romeo 25, Fajardo 18, Rosario 14, Pogoy 10, Maliksi 9, Castro 7, Jalalon 6, Aguilar 4, Wright 4, Almazan 2.
Visayas All-Stars (112): Tenorio 19, Yap 18, Chan 17, Ross 13, Devance 10, Hontiveros 9, Quinahan 7, Taulava 6, Cruz 6, Ellis 6, Al-Hussaini 1, Tubid 0.
Quarter scores: 21-34, 59-62, 89-92, 125-112.
– Rappler.com
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