MANILA — The duo of Calvin Abueva and Terrence Romeo led Gilas Pilipinas to a come-from-behind 125-112 victory over the PBA Visayas All-Stars, capping off the 2017 PBA All-Star Week in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu. Abueva came off the bench to finish with a game-high 26 points, seven rebounds and two steals. Romeo tallied 25 points, including 4-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc, along with four assists. Following the game, Romeo was named the All-Star MVP. Playing in their first game as a 12-man unit just two days after it was formed, Gilas groped for form in the early going and even trailed by as many as 15 points in the first half. Gilas was still down by three points, 89-92, at the start of the fourth quarter when the Nationals finally zoomed ahead, firing on all cylinders for the runaway victory. June Mar Fajardo dominated the paint, putting up a double-double 18 points and 13 rebounds. Troy Rosario added 14 markers while RR Pogoy and Allein Maliksi chipped in 10 and nine points, respectively. Naturalized player and former NBA star Andray Blatche is expected to arrive in Manila Monday or Tuesday to begin practice with Gilas ahead of the SEABA Championship in Manila on May 12-18. Only the winner of that tournament will qualify for the FIBA Asia Cup in August. LA Tenorio led the Tim Cone-coached Visayas All-Stars with 19 points and four assists, while James Yap and Jeff Chan added 18 and 17 markers, respectively, combining for 10 three-pointers. The 2017 Commissioner's Cup is set to resume Wednesday, May 3. Players who were picked for Gilas duty by head coach Chot Reyes will no longer play for their mother units until the end of the SEABA Championship. Among the PBA teams, the TNT Katropa Texters will be the most disadvantaged as they will miss three key players who were selected for the Gilas squad—Jayson Castro, Rosario and Pogoy. Star with miss two players—Maliksi and rookie guard Jio Jalalon. San Miguel Beer will miss Fajardo; Ginebra will be playing minus Japeth Aguilar; Alaska will miss Abueva; GlobalPort will be playing minus Romeo; Rain or Shine will miss Raymond Almazan; and Phoenix will be playing minus Matthew Wright. Game Wednesday: NLEX vs. Blackwater Elite and Meralco Bolts vs. Phoenix Fuel Masters.
