INQUIRER Sports

GAMES FRIDAY (West Negros Gym, Bacolod)
5 p.m.—Skills Challenge
7 p.m.—Rookies vs Sophomores

MANILA, Philippines – There was—and even its coach had to admit it—no way that Talk ‘N Text was going to lose this one.

The Phone Pals rewrote the league’s record books by combining for 23 triples Tuesday night on the way to manhandling a badly outclassed Air21 crew, 116-99, and sustaining their climb in the Smart PBA Fiesta Cup leaderboard.

The Phone Pals’ scorching performance at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City helped them climb to third place in the standings after a second straight victory pegged their record at 4-2.

“Wow!” exclaimed coach Chot Reyes after the game, when informed of the 23-of-39 shooting of his wards, who actually came into the game shorthanded with Jay Washington out because of a foot injury. “If you shoot that way, it’s hard to lose.”

Overshadowed by that swashbuckling Talk ‘N Text show was a 95-88 victory by Coca-Cola over Sta. Lucia Realty in the second game, one that put the Tigers alone on top with a 5-1 card going into the All-Star break.

Nic Belasco draining his only points for the night—a three-pointer—to give Coca-Cola a 93-88 lead in the last 14.1 seconds. The Realtors took a second straight loss in a 3-2 card.

Talk ‘N Text made shooting from afar look so easy Tuesday night that the Phone Pals actually made more three-pointers than they did two-point field goals or free throws—probably the first time this has happened in the rich history of the 33-year-old league.

The Phone Pals hit just 19-of-47 two-point attempts and were good for only 9-of-16 free throws.

The 23 triples easily eclipsed the 18 shared by two Presto teams powered by Allan “The Triggerman” Caidic. In both instances, Caidic made a bulk of the Presto output.

The league legend made the all-time individual record of 17 in a 162-149 victory over Ginebra on Nov. 21, 1991. Before that, Caidic, now an assistant coach at Barangay Ginebra, drained 15 triples in a 175-159 Presto win over Alaska on Nov. 2, 1988. Those individual feats still rank as 1-2 all-time.

Jimmy Alapag led this latest assault from beyond the arc, making seven triples as he missed only two shots from that area. Don Allado and Renren Ritualo had four each. Mac Cardona had three triples while Yancy de Ocampo, Yousif Aljamal and Donbel Belano added one each.

Talk ‘N Text got a bad break in the second half when import Aaron McGhee had to be carried out of the floor because of a badly twisted ankle. By then, however, the 6-foot-9 import had already scored 16 points—including two triples—in just 17 minutes.

All in all, only four of the 12 players that Reyes utilized failed to score a triple—and only because they didn’t take an attempt.

Air21 dropped to 2-3.

Meanwhile, the league’s Commissioner’s Office fined Alaska import Randy Holcomb P20,000 and suspended him for a game after a flagrant foul on Red Bull’s Rich Alvarez in an out-of-town game Saturday. The Barako won that match, 100-97.

The scores:

First Game

TALK ‘N TEXT 116—Alapag 25, Cardona 17, McGhee 16, Allado 15, Ritualo 14, De Ocampo 12, Peek 7, Carey 4, Aljamal 3, Belano 3, Chia 0, Lao 0.
AIR21 99—Thomas 21, Canaleta 16, Se 16, Billones 13, David 10, Arboleda 8, Santos 7, Kramer 4, Cruz 4, De Ocampo 0, Sotto 0.
Quarters: 26-23, 62-43, 85-66, 116-99

Second Game

COCA-COLA 95—Dixon 27, Gervin 18, Buenafe 15, Macapagal 12, Cabagnot 7, Telan 5, Taulava 4, Belasco 3, Enrile 2, Dimaunahan 2.
STA. LUCIA 88—Wilson 22, Omolon 18, Williams 17, Reyes 10, Mendoza 8, Miranda 4, Aquino 4, Yeo 3, Espino 2, Gonzales 0.
Quarters: 17-18, 44-37, 64-64, 93-88