TnT, San Mig seal semis duel

MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text finally neutralized Barako Bull import Allen Durham in the second half and the Tropang Texters seized the initiative in a see-sawing battle en route to a 99-84 romp to clinch the first Final Four slot in the PBA Governors Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Texters took away Durham’s inside game in the final half with a double-teaming defense and Talk n Text ripped Barako to advance to the best-of-five semifinals versus the grand slam-seeking San Mig Coffee or San Miguel Beer.

“The key was our defensive effort in the second half. In the first half, we played him (Durham) straight up with minimal help. In the second half, we decided to go and take the ball away from him, and we’re able to pull away,” said Talk n Text coach Norman Black.

“Next step is the semis. I don’t really care who we play. It’s all about focusing on our goal and what we try to accomplish. Whoever we play, we’ll try our best,” Black also said.

Later in the night, San Mig Coffee overcame fatigue, slow start and the absence of injury-stricken hitman PJ Simon as the Mixers bundled out the San Miguel Beermen, 97-90, in their own quarters matchup.

Playing a second game in two nights, the Mixers hung tough in the first 46 minutes before making a decisive run in the stretch to frustrate the Beermen and set up a semis showdown with the Texters.

“It was a tough balancing act from last night (Monday). We seemed to get energy in the fourth quarter,” said San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone.

The Texters shackled Durham in the last 24 minutes with a swarming defense. They also found their offensive rhythm with four of them firing at least 14 points each.

KG Canaleta dished out his best game in a TnT uniform, punishing the Energy Cola with 6-of-11 three-point shooting and a total of 25 points.

“When he’s still with Air21, he’s always the Talk n Text killer, and that’s the reason why we traded for him,” said Black.

Paul Harris also stepped up and helped anchor Talk n Text’s second-half breakaway, highlighting his 24-point performance with a thunderous slam off Durham.

Jayson Castro contributed 16 markers, eight rebounds and four assists while Ranidel de Ocampo chipped in 14 buckets, 10 boards and seven dish-offs.

Kelly Williams, Larry Fonacier, Jimmy Alapag and Ryan Reyes did their part as the Tropang Texters ended the Energy Cola’s 2013-14 PBA season.

The Energy Cola dragged the Texters to a battle in the first half and even seized control at 58-47 on a 13-6 run in the third quarter.

But the Texters regrouped and made a decisive turnaround to make the semis just in one game. Behind a 26-9 salvo, the Texters wiped out a nine-point deficit and built a 73-65 lead going into the final quarter.

The Texters pulled away at 95-79 on three straight treys by De Ocampo and Canaleta.

At the end of the elims, the bull-strong Durham led the Best Import race with 61.0 SPs an outing but might have kissed his hopes goodbye following the Energy Cola’s exit.