Talk N' Text defeats Ginebra in QF Game 1

Talk N’ Text survived Barangay Ginebra’s spirited second half comeback to hammer out a 107-92 victory Friday night to gain the early edge in their best-of-five quarterfinal series in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Jason Castro paced five other players in double digits with 20 points he spiked with seven rebounds, four steals, two assists, two rebounds and a block to give the Tropang Texters a 1-0 edge. Jimmy Alapag chipped in 19 points while Harvey Carey, Mark Cardona, Jared Dillinger and Ali Peek had 13, 12, 11 and 10 points, respectively. JC Intal spearheaded the Kings with 19 points.

The Kings unloaded a 13-9 exchange Celino Cruz capped with a wide-open layup off a steal from Alapag to close the gap at 84-89 with eight minutes left in the match.

But the Tropang Texters recovered their wits and instantly quashed it with a backbreaking run that secured the win. Rico Villanueva and Cyrus Baguio whipped up a third quarter storm as the two willed the Kings back to within a more manageable 65-71 deficit with a little less than five minutes left in the period. Villanueva erupted for 13 points while Baguio 10 including an acrobatic shot in one blistering stretch of the last quarter.

The Tropang Texters seemed to have all the answers though and kept their heads above water, keeping a precarious 80-71 lead going into the final 12 minutes. Alapag and Castro went on attack mode early exploded with a combined 26-point effort as the Tropang Texters seized a 57-31 lead and total control at the break. Alapag drained all his first four attempts from behind the arc while Castro had an impeccable shooting start—four-of-four from the field and three-of-three from the free throw line—with 12 points in the first half.

So overpowering was Talk N’ Text that it led by as much as 22 points in the second quarter and appeared headed to a surprisingly lopsided victory.

Intal and Willy Wilson, for their part, led the Kings early with 12 and 10 points, respectively, but their performances were buried under the avalanche created by the prolific pair of Alapag and Castro.

The scores:

Talk N’ Text 107- Castro 20, Alapag 19, Carey 13, Cardona 12, Dilinger 11, Peek 10, R. de Ocampo 8, Belasco 6, de Guzman 4, Ritualo 2, Y. de Ocampo 0

Ginebra 92- Intal 19, Villanueva 16, Baguio 12, Salvacion 12, Wilson 11, Cruz 10, White 6, Tubid 2, Mamaril 2, Menk 2, Caguioa 0, Abarrientos 0

Quarterscores: 26-20; 57-38; 80-71; 107-92

Source: Author Unknown  | PBA.ph