Talk ‘N Text rips Alaska; B-Meg rallies past Rain or Shine
MANILA — Playing hard each minute on both ends, Talk ‘N Text ripped Alaska, 103-85, Friday night at the Araneta Coliseum to remain on top of the PBA Governors’ Cup standings and boost its ambitious Grand Slam bid.
Larry Fonacier scattered 21 points coming off the bench, Ryan Reyes contributed 20 and jet-lagged new import Scottie Reynolds tossed in 18 that went with six assists as the Tropang Texters rose to 7-2 with their third straight win.
“Tonight we were happy with our effort,” Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes said. “That’s something we need to maintain and put forth every time we play. This is just one step and we have a lot more games to play.”
In the second game, B-Meg rallied from double-digit deficits and nipped Rain or Shine, 99-98 to start its semifinal bid.
The Llamados leaned on a clutch jumper from PJ Simon in the dying seconds before watching Arizona Reid muff a challenged jumper to ice the comeback.
The Painters, though, were far from happy with the result and had their complaints on officiating.
In fact, Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao approached commissioner Chito Salud at the tunnel leading to the satellite PBA office inside the Big Dome to make a case against the way calls went in the match.
A witness said Guiao hinted that the Painters may have been at the raw end of the officiating, to which the Salud calmly replied in Filipino: “Are you saying you were cheated?”
The witness said Guiao clarified his statement and asked Salud how Reid, who attacked the basket several times to finish with a game-high 41 markers, could only take one free throw the entire match.
Salud reportedly then told Guiao that they talk about the matter today and the Rain or Shine coached headed back to the dugout. Witnesses said the conversation between the two was mostly cordial.
The Texters peeled away from the Aces in the second quarter by holding them to just 16 points for a 53-44 halftime lead.
Reynolds, who came in as a replacement for Maurice Baker, scored 10 in that span and sent Talk ‘N Text on its way toward a second straight rout counting its 26-point destruction of ousted Air21 last week.
In the second round of the match-up between that last team to achieve the Grand Slam and the latest squad seeking it, Alaska again proved no match as the Aces missed Cyrus Baguio, who suffered an MCL tear after a freak accident during practice.
So lopsided was the game that the Texters opened up an 83-59 lead going into the final 2:57 after a Fonacier triple.
“I think we were lucky tonight because one, we shot so well from the outside, and two, they didn’t have Baguio,” Reyes added.
The top two teams after the single-round semifinals will make it to the title series—unless one other squad wins 4-of-5 games. In that scenario, that team will clash with the No. 2 squad for the right to play the No. 1 squad.
The scores:
TALK ‘N TEXT 103—Fonacier 21, Reyes 20, Reynolds 18, Williams 12, Castro 9, Alapag 9, Peek 7, Carey 4, Aban 3, Yee 0, Dillinger 0, Alvarez 0, Lao 0.
ALASKA 85—Forte 22, Tenorio 16, Thoss 14, Custodio 10, Dela Cruz 10, Reyes 6, Gonzales 6, Eman 1, Borboran 0, Dimaunahan 0, Cablay 0.
Quarters: 27-28, 53-44, 86-65, 103-85
Second Game
B-MEG 99–Yap J. 23, Allen 18, Devance 17, Simon 17, Pingris 10, Allado 8, Yap R. 4, Urbiztondo 2, Gaco 0, Reavis 0.
RAIN OR SHINE 98–Reid 41, Buenafe 12, Chan 10, Vanlandingham 7, Norwood 7, Belga 6, Arana 6, Tang 5, Ibanes 4, Jazul 0, Cruz 0, Rodriguez 0, Kramer 0.
QUARTERS: 19-23, 39-54, 71-75, 99-98
