Talk ‘N Text claims top spot as Ginebra crashes out of top 4

MANILA, Philippines – The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters forced Barangay Ginebra San Miguel to yet another fourth quarter meltdown to come away with the victory, 96-92, on Sunday, June 15 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to claim the top seed heading into the playoffs of the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad Governors’ Cup. 

 

“I really felt like I was on a roller coaster today,” remarked TNT head coach Norman Black. “Both teams were making a lot of runs and both teams also kept losing control of the game.”

 

Import Paul Harris once again hit the big shots when Talk ‘N Text needed him most as he nailed the dagger 3-point bomb with 35 ticks on the clock to make it a 90-83 ballgame and put away Ginebra for good. 

 

He finished with a game-high 31 points, shooting 13-of-14 from the stripe, and all the while collecting 16 rebounds. 

 

“Paul Harris once again came up big for us in the end,” Black commended his reliable import. “He hit some big shots for us.”

 

Before that dagger trey, Harris displayed his athleticism and clear advantage over Ginebra import Zaccheus Mason as Harris drove past him in the lane and left his defense in the dust for the two points and an 87-83 cushion with just over a minute left. 

 

Japeth Aguilar, who led Ginebra with 18 points, then committed a turnover before Harris shot the triple. 

 

It was another endgame collapse for the Gin Kings as they failed to close out strong for the third straight game, succumbing to turnovers and miserable execution. 

 

Black commended his team captain Jimmy Alapag, who returned to this game after missing their last one against San Mig Coffee due to illness. He finished with 5 points and 5 assists. 

 

“I liked the quarterbacking of Jimmy Alapag in the second half, he really helped us a great deal, stabilizing our offense,” Black said, also noting his team’s effort on defense. 

 

“Defensively we did what we had to do. It wasn’t a great effort defensively but it was good enough to win.”

 

The Texters erased a 14-point 53-67 deficit towards the end of the third by mounting a crippling 21-6 run bridging the third and fourth periods to reclaim the advantage, 74-73, on a KG Canaleta triple with 6:34 to play. 

 

Both teams exchanged baskets before Alapag lined up a go-ahead triple, 79-78, to permanently grab hold of the lead with 4:43 left. 

 

Mason and rookie bigman Greg Slaughter each contributed 15 points for Ginebra, while Mac Baracael and LA Tenorio had 14 points apiece as well. 

 

Ginebra, who now holds a 5-4 record, has lost their chance at a twice-to-beat edge due to inferior quotient. 

 

With the win, Talk ‘N Text earned a 7-2 win-loss record and ended the eliminations atop everybody for the second straight conference.

 

“It’s good. It means that we’re winning basketball games,” Black said of their dominance in the eliminations. “But of course, the goal is to win a championship. I don’t think anybody at Talk ‘N Text is gonna be happy until we do that.”

 

Holding a twice-to-beat advantage, they are set to go up against 8th seed Barako Bull in the quarter finals. 

 

Black says it will be an “interesting contest” since they lost to Barako the last time they met. He says their objective is to stop Barako import Allen Durham. 

 

Scores: 

 

Talk N’ Text: 96 – Harris 31, De Ocampo 18, Castro 18, Fonacier 12, Canaleta 8, Alapag 5, Williams 2, Baclao 2, Reyes Ryan 0, Reyes Rob 0, Carey 0.

 

Ginebra: 92 – Aguilar 18, Mason 15, Slaughter 15, Baracael 14, Tanorio 14, Ababou 7, Helterbrand 3, Knuttel 2, Reyes 2, Monfort 2, Ellis 0, Caguioa 0.

 

Quarter scores: 19-20, 40-46, 55-67, 96-92. 

 

– Rappler.com