Tristan Tamayo/INQUIRER.net
Talk ‘N Text made it three in a row after beating Star, 91-86, in the 2016 Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup Saturday night at Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City.
Jayson Castro scored 33 points, five of which came during a 7-0 run by TNT in the final minute, to lead the Tropang Texters, who joined Alaska, GlobalPort, Rain or Shine, San Miguel Beer in first place with a 3-1 mark.
The Texters held a one-point lead, 83-82, before Castro took over. He hit a 3-pointer over Hotshots swingman James Yap at the 1:03 mark before making a tough baseline running 23 seconds later for an 88-82 Texters lead.
Mo Tautuaa capped TNT’s spurt with a breakaway dunk off a steal on Ian Sangalang that padded onto TNT’s advantage, 90-82, with 30.8 ticks to go.
While the Texters appeared to have found the winning formula after dropping their opening game, the Hotshots are still trying to find the right mix under new head coach Jason Webb with a 2-3 slate.