WATCH: Terrence Romeo’s killer crossover, Calvin Abueva’s throwdown vs Kuwait

MANILA, Philippines – Terrence Romeo and Calvin Abueva made their presence felt in Gilas Pilipinas’ final first round game versus Kuwait in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship on Friday, September 25 in Changsha, Hunan, China.

(READ: Gilas breezes past Kuwait, advances to FIBA Asia second round)

The Philippine national team rookies had some highlight plays in Gilas’ second straight blowout victory that earned them a trip to the second group phase of the Asian cage wars. (HIGHLIGHTS: Gilas vs Kuwait – 2015 FIBA Asia Championship)

Guard Romeo, who topscored for the Philippines with 19 points on 3-of-3 shooting from beyond the arc, stunned the Kuwaiti defense with one of his killer crossover moves late in the third quarter when the game was all but decided.

While forward and energizer bunny Abueva went all the way for the fastbreak one-handed jam as Kuwait’s defense did not even attempt to stop him early in the second period.

Abueva contributed 10 points, 8 rebounds, two assists and a steal in an efficient 13 minutes and 40 seconds of playing time.

Gilas Pilipinas stumbled out of the gates but finished the first round with guns ablaze to move on to the second group phase. The Filipinos breezed through Hong Kong and Kuwait after a tough loss to Palestine to finish with a 2-1 win-loss slate.

Gilas will play in Group E of the second round and will face reigning champion Iran, India and Japan with their carryover record of 1-1. Their win versus Kuwait will not be included as Kuwait is already eliminated. Palestine and Hong Kong will also advance to Group E and will face the 3 new teams from Group A.

The top 4 teams from each of the two groups in the second round will advance to the knockout quarterfinals.

The second group phase starts on Sunday, September 27 after a one-day break. – Rappler.com