Import turns zero to hero, lifts TnT

MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text import Omar Hassan Samhan started with a 0-of-9 shooting before getting his game going and leading the Tropang Texters to a 102-96 overtime win over the Meralco Bolts in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome last night.

Samhan shook off his sluggish start and came through with 24 points, 20 rebounds, four blocks and one assist as the Texters opened their campaign for a second title-retention bid in the season on a winning note.

The 6-11 TnT reinforcement stepped up in the crunch, putting in eight points in the fourth quarter and six in overtime as the Texters kept their clean slate (5-0) in their head-to-head battles with the Bolts.

Meralco slid to 1-2 in the mid-season tourney.

“What he (Samhan) showed was not pleasing in the eyes. But he ended up with 24 points and 20 rebounds, and that’s not a bad production,” said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.

“He’s not athletic, he’s not flashy, but he’s effective and he has a high basketball IQ that’s why his teammates like playing with him. But the jury is still out on him,” Reyes also said.

The Texters struggled to get the win, but Reyes said he really didn’t expect much, considering their short preparation coming from their Philippine Cup title conquest.

Jimmy Alapag, Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, Jarred Dillinger and Larry Fonacier delivered double-digit outputs as they cancelled out the huge numbers put up by Jarrid Famous, Mark Cardona and Chris Ross for Meralco.

Famous led all scorers with 28 points, Cardona added 25 points while Ross had another solid all-around game with 19 points, 13 assists, six rebounds and five steals.

Ross furiously attacked Castro’s defense and scored on a turnaround shot to force the extension play at 92-all.

The Texters still had a chance to win the game in regulation but Ranidel de Ocampo failed to convert a running shot at the buzzer.

Castro later got back at Ross, draining a three-pointer that pushed the Texters ahead to stay at 99-96.

Meralco had its last taste of the lead at 96-94 on a perimeter jumper by Ross with 2:15 left to play. The Bolts never scored again the rest of the way.

Missing all his first nine attempts, Samhan finally nailed a basket on a jumper with already over 20 minutes into the game. He buried two more baskets before the half ended at 45-42 in favor of the Texters.

The Texters banked on their deep lineup to keep up with the Bolts even with Samhan groping for form early on.