PBA Philippine Cup: Powerade defeats Talk ’N Text by 35 points

FOUL JV Casio of Powerade is called for a foul off John Raymundo of Talk ’N Text, which lost the game, 131-96, Sunday, November 27, 2011, during the PBA Philippine Cup tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. INQUIRER PHOTO/ AUGUST DELA CRUZ

MANILA, Philippines—Powerade rolled over an unmanned Talk ’N Text  in a jarring 131-96 victory Sunday in the 2011 PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Gary David scored 27 points, Marcio Lassiter added 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists as the Tigers ended a 13-game losing skid to the Texters dating back to 2008.

But more than that, Powerade notched its first back-to-back win this conference to give its bid for a spot in the quarterfinals a huge boost with just two games left in the eliminations.

“It feels good to finally beat Talk ’N Text,” said Powerade head coach Bo Perasol. “I was encouraging my players to believe they have what it takes to win.”

The Tigers looked the heftier team from the get go, and a nine-point lead at the end of the first quarter stretched to as big as 41 points in the payoff period.

The Texters, reeling to only their second loss of the season in spite of all the speed bumps, simply could not keep up with Powerade with half of their key guys on the injury bay.

Jared Dillinger was the latest casualty among the Texters, joining Aaron Aban, Jimmy Alapag, Ryan Reyes and Ali Peek, as he suffered a left heel injury and missed Sunday’s game.

Kelly Williams and Jason Castro teamed up to salvage the Texters, but on a losing battle, with 18 and 15 points, respectively.

It was the second worst defeat in franchise history—the first was a 37 point-loss to Purefoods in 1998.