MANILA, Philippines – Mark Barroca flashed his unstoppable brilliance in the fourth quarter to lead the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers to a 100-87 victory over the Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters in the PLDT Home DSL PBA Philippine Cup on Friday, January 17 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Gilas I point guard scored 12 of his 16 points in the pivotal fourth quarter that saw San Mig pull away from a tight ball game. Barroca finished with 3 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals as well, as the Coffee Mixers concluded the conference with a 7-7 card in the team standings.
The Tropang Texters jumped out the gates with a strong start, scoring 8 points in the first two minutes of the game, but it was the Coffee Mixers’ second unit who provided the spark in a furious first half assault.
San Mig overcame a sluggish start behind the efforts of Rafi Reavis, Justin Melton, and Alex Mallari who starred in the second period. A getaway move by Melton capped a 15-4 run midway in the quarter, as the Mixers took a 48-36 edge before securing a 52-44 halftime lead.
Coach Tim Cone’s troops were able to keep TNT at bay in the final two quarters, with Mark Barroca putting on a dazzling show in the final period.
The Tropang Texters tried desperately to mount a comeback behind back to back treys by Jimmy Alapag that cut the deficit to 85-95 with just over 2 minutes left. However, Barroca responded with a dagger three of his own under the last two minutes, 98-85, letting San Mig escape.
Jayson Castro, who torched the hoops for 17 first half points, was not able to score a field goal in the second half, finishing with 21 points. The Tropang Texters also missed the services of Ryan Reyes, Nonoy Baclao, and Kelly Williams and shot a woeful 36.9% from the floor.
TNT, who have won the Philippine Cup champions for three consecutive years, dropped their third game in a row to fall to 7-6. They will face Ginebra on Sunday, January 19 to cap off their elimination campaign. – Rappler.com
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