SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The dream is alive.
Facing the brink of elimination, Talk ‘N Text flashed brilliant composure and drew a solid performance from Jayson Castro to eke out an 82-77 victory over San Mig Coffee in the PLDT Home DSL PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals on Friday, January 25 at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Tropang Texters tied the series at 1-1 and forced a decider on Sunday, January 26 at the Cuneta Astrodome. Castro fired 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists while hitting key baskets late in the game; KG Canaleta and Ryan Reyes each added 13 markers.
TNT head coach Norman Black stressed how vital it was to have more time to practice with their key guys, saying it was the main difference in the match.
“The biggest difference is having two days of practice. KG just practoced with us one day and the doctor gave Ryan (Reyes), Noy (Baclao) and Kelly (Williams) the okay to practice just Monday,” he said.
“The two-day practice helped us as far as our execution and defense.”
With their four-peat bid on the line, the Tropang Texters showcased their championship form in the early goings, racing towards a 15-2 run in the first five minutes of the match behind Jayson Castro and KG Canaleta, who accounted for 13 points in the run.
However, the Mixers would respond with tenacious defense, shackling TNT to just two field goals for the remainder of the first quarter to steal the lead, 21-19.
Talk ‘and Text’s bigs would respond afterwards, carrying the Tropang Texters in the next two quarters; the defending champs pulled away from a nip-and-tuck affair, turning a slim 38-34 halftime edge into a 62-52 bubble heading into the final frame.
Aa basket by Ranidel De Ocampo extended the lead to 66-54, before San Mig pressured TNT with the hopes of closing out the series. Marc Pingris hustled his way as the Mixers made it 66-60, 6:40 left.
But that was when Castro – the reigning Philippine Cup BPC – took over with 7 straight points to restore order for TNT. A triple by Ryan Reyes made it 76-66 for the Tropang Texters with just 2:34 to go.
The defiant San Mig squad would not give up just yet.
Mark Barroca and Joe Devance joined hands to bring the lead down to 79-73 with only 56.1 ticks to go.
The Mixers forced a stop but PJ Simon’s corner trey on the other end went astray and led to two free throws by Danny Seigle, 81-73.
Unlike in the first game where the Mixers outhustled the Texters, Norman Black’s wards had more rebounds (42-38), fastbreak points (8-6) and second chance points (6-5).
TNT also limited San Mig to just 40.3% from the field while shooting 47.9% including 35% from beyond the arc.
The scores:
Talk ‘N Text – Castro 20, Canaleta 13, Reyes 13, Seigle 11, R. De Ocampo 9, Williams 8, Peek 4, Fonacier 2, Carey 2, Aban 0, Baclao 0, Alapag 0.
San Mig – Devance 13, Barroca 12, Simon 12, Mallari 7, Pingris 6, Melton 6, Yap 5, Sangalang 4, Y. De Ocampo 0.
Quarter scores: 19-21, 38-34, 62-52, 82-77. – Rappler.com
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