Texters pass thru eye of needle, win opener

MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text struggled with its shots in the face of Alaska Milk’s tenacious defense but played tough “D” in the clutch, shutting down the Aces in the last 2:30 of play to squeeze out a 66-65 victory in the opener of their PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven semifinal at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Tropang Texters went through a wringer, needing a three-pointer from Ryan Reyes in the last 14.3 seconds then a key stop to salvage the game they dominated in the opening half.

“It’s very difficult for us, and I’m happy with the team mainly because we grind it out. It showed what the team is made of,” said Talk n Text coach Norman Black.

“We could have given up but grind it out in the end,” Black added. “Obviously, they did a lot of good things and we have to go back and take a look at the game.”

Despite the heart-breaker, Alaska coach Luigi Trillo was satisfied with their game, saying: “(What we showed) gives us hope.”

“If there’s really a team you idolize, it’s Talk n Text. They had four championships in the last three years. The game boiled down to breaks of the game and I hope we build on that,” said Trillo.

Alaska had a chance to win the game but Tony dela Cruz took matters into his hands, missing a 15-footer off Kelly Williams with four seconds left in the contest.

Earlier, Jayvee Casio drew a foul from Jayson Castro while driving to the basket, but the referees didn’t award free throws, ruling the foul was committed before the Alaska guard got into act of shooting.

“I have to see the video. From my reaction, I saw a foul that could have been a continuation. It could have been the other way around and that’s break of the game,” said Trillo.

Losing control of the game late in the third quarter, Talk n Text waged its own fightback in the fourth, regaining the upper hand, 66-65, with 14.3 seconds to go on a booming three-pointer by Reyes off a kickoff by Jason Castro.

“I don’t think (the play was) for Ryan. It was a good ball movement and Jayson found Ryan. And good thing, he was able to step up and make the shot,” said Black.

Rain or Shine sustained its sharpness coming from its quarterfinals series with Barangay Ginebra, topping San Mig Coffee, 91-83, in Game One of their own semis duel later in the night.

Jeff Chan bounced back from a 1-of-9 shooting the last time with an 18-point outing and the rest of the Elasto Painters got going to gain the crucial head start in a playoff rematch with the Mixers.

“Jeff finally got his range back and he was a big help. Our biggest concern coming to this game was rebounding and I think we also did well on that department,” said RoS coach Yeng Guiao.

 after the game.

Both teams bled for points in a defensive battle ending with both teams putting their lowest output in a game in the season.

Before making the game-winning trey, Reyes had gone 0-of-3 from beyond the arc.

The Tropang Texters struggled with a 29.7-percent field shooting while the Aces hit at a 36.8-percent clip.

Castro led all scorers with 17 points that went with 11 rebounds in a rare double-double outing. Ranidel de Ocampo was the only other Texter who finished in double figures with 11.

Sonny Thoss paced the Aces with 14 points on 6-of-13 field goals. He missed his last two attempts that could have iced the game in the final minute.

The Texters put the cuffs on Alaska one-two punch Cyrus Baguio and Jayvee Casio, limiting them to 14 points together.

Calvin Abueva collected 17 rebounds but converted just five of 13 field attempts. Worse, he was 0-of-5 from the stripe.

The scores:

First Game

Talk n Text 66 – Castro 17, De Ocampo 11, Fonacier 8, Carey 8, Alapag 8, Reyes 7, Dillinger 3, Williams 2, Peek 2, Gamalinda 0, Aban 0.

Alaska 65 – Thoss 14, Jazul 11, Abueva 10, Baguio 8, Espinas 7, Casio 6, Hontiveros 5, Baracael 2, Dela Cruz 2, Belasco 0.

Quarterscores: 17-11, 34-28, 47-50, 66-65