Talk N’ Text still undefeated after turning back Air21

Jimmy Alapag vs Simon Atkins

MANILA, Philippines—Talk N’ Text kept it steady in the second half and turned back Air21, 96-89, Wednesday to remain undefeated in the 2012 PBA Philippine Cup at Mall of Asia Arena.

After quickly wiping off a five-point halftime deficit, the Texters—more fluid on the offense—built a safe cushion and never relinquished the lead en route to a 3-0 record.

“We played much better in the second half. We switched bigger players (on their big men) to make it a little harder for them to score in the paint,” said head coach Norman Black.

Jimmy Alapag, who reached a milestone by knocking down the 1000th triple of his career, led the Texters with 16 points—half of which scored in the pivotal third period.

Alapag nailed his fourth trey of the game, then scored on a baseline jumper before John Ferriols capped the run with an undergoal stab to make it 72-59 lead in the third.

“We just ran a free-flowing game in the second. We tried to do set plays but it didn’t work for us, so I just told them to go back to what they do best,” said Black.

Ranidel De Ocampo paced Talk N’ Text with 19 points, giving his squad the biggest lead at 93-79 with 3:37 to go, six rebounds and three assists.

Air21, which absorbed its third setback, got 26 points off turnovers but could not come closer than seven points in the payoff period.

Nino Canaleta led all scorers with 21 points—3-of-6 from downtown—while John Wilson and Winnie Arboleda chipped in 18 and 14 points, respectively.

Wilson and Arboleda accounted for eight of the 11 three-pointers of the Express, who held the lead at the turn of the first and second quarters.