Talk n Text squandered an 18-point bulge and had to lean on a big break at endgame in nipping Coca-Cola, 98-97, in the opener of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night.
Jimmy Alapag nailed a free throw on an excessive timeout called by the Tigers with 8.6 seconds left, allowing the Tropang Texters to escape with the win in the exciting contest kicking off the 34th season of the pro league.
“I felt we really played well but got tired having to play small in the game. We missed Ali Peek who’s nursing a calf muscle injury and we lost Jared Dillinger essentially in the second half because of cramps. But we got a big break,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.
“Gutsy win for us,” added Reyes. “It’s just the first game of the season but at least we’ve got the monkey off our back.”
The Tigers had a chance to salvage the game but Asi Taulava failed to beat the final buzzer on his make-or-break follow-up shot on a missed lay-up by Alex Cabagnot.
The Tropang Texters whooped it up as the referees nullified Taulava’s shot, capping a dramatic win for the Talk n Text team which came out in the season with an overhauled lineup.
New recruits Dillinger, Rob Reyes and Jason Castro had their contributions but old mainstays Renren Ritualo and Mark Cardona paced the team with 24 and 21 points, respectively.
“You see what our rookies can do. They will really be a part of the team,” said Reyes.
The Tropang Texters, who had an Italian training, worked with fluidity, leading by as many as 18 points before tapering off in the fourth quarter.
Nic Belasco and Ronjay Buenafe strung up three straight treys, highlighting a fourth-quarter charge that had the Tigers surging ahead at 95-94.
Talk n Text regained the upperhand on a triple by Yancy de Ocampo before Coca-Cola tied the count for the last time at 97-all on two free throws by Cabagnot with 32.2 ticks left.
The Tigers got a chance to steal the game following a Talk n Text turnover in the ensuing play. Coca-Cola, alas, yielded an automatic free throw when Taulava sued for an excessive timeout while down on the court hounded by at least three defenders.
Ritualo came out with his guns ablaze in the second quarter, going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the two-point zone as the Pals cut loose from a tight game, erecting a 60-47 lead at the half.
The entire Talk n Text team made six of 12 three-point attempts and converted 62.5 percent of its total field goals in building the momentum in its breakaway from a 23-24 count at the end of the first period.
Ritualo hit at an 87-percent clip in making 18 points just in the second quarter to finish with 20 in the opening half marked by five deadlocks and two lead changes.