Jayson Castro saves the day as TNT beats NLEX at the buzzer
Import Ivan Johnson lived up to the hype but it was cerebral guard Jayson Castro who saved the day for Talk ’N Text.
The 5-foot-11 Castro drilled in a cold blooded 18-footer at the buzzer, helping the Tropang Texters hold off the late-charging NLEX Road Warriors on Friday night 98-96—their third straight victory—in the PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
After squandering a big 29-point lead and allowing NLEX to knot the count at 96-apiece following Larry Fonacier’s excessive call of timeout that led to Road Warriors import Al Thornton’s game-tying free throw with 8.8 seconds left, Castro rushed the leather from the other end then soared for the game-winning jumper over defenders Rudy Lingganay and Jonas Villanueva as time expired, sparking a wild jubilation from the Texters bench.
The 6-foot-8 Johnson, who took over the spot from last year’s Best Import awardee Richard Howell, finished with a team-high 32 points, most of them coming in their dominant showing in the first 36 minutes, while Castro added 16 markers as Talk ’N Text tightened its grip at solo second spot with a 5-1 mark, just a half-game-behind undefeated sister team Meralco (5-0).
Thornton led all scorers with 37 points, the bulk of them coming in the second half where he anchored the Road Warriors’ fightback alongside locals Jonas Villanueva and KG Canaleta, only to get foiled by Castro’s game-winner.
Villanueva was the lone local to score in double figures for NLEX with 13 points, his team failing to come up with a fitting follow-up to an impressive 106-79 win over Blackwater last Tuesday for a 1-4 mark.
The finish, however, was far from how it started.
After guard Jonas Villanueva nailed a triple that cut NLEX deficit to just two at 18-20, Talk ’N Text unloaded a blinding 12-1 closeout, with De Ocampo accounting for eight points spiked by a pair of triples, enabling them to build a 13-point spread into the second frame.
Then Texters locals joined the fray, with Willie Miller, Matthew Ganuelas-Rosser and Castro firing on all cylinders that helped them stretch their lead to as high of 29 points at 59-30 and take a 25-point cushion at the break.
Johnson continued to pour it on in the third canto, even scoring a triple that gave the Texters a hefty 80-52 lead.
But Thornton came back to life and powered the Road Warriors fightback anchored on there rejuvenated defense, limiting the Texters to just seven points until the closing seconds of the fourth canto.
NLEX had a chance to claim the lead when Johnson made an inbound error, causing Villanueva to run down the court, only to save the leather to the wrong man in the mold of Fonacier, who immediately sued for time.
Talk ’N Text, however, was penalized with a technical foul for calling an extra timeout, paving the way for Thornton’s game-tying freebie.
But Castro still had other things in mind, to the delight of Talk ’N Text.
The Main Man: Jayson Castro highlighted his 16-point output by coming through with the game-winning jumper at the buzzer.
Honorable Mention: Ivan Johnson, a former Atlanta Hawks forward, proved he’s as good as advertised as he sizzled with a team-high 32 points, anchoring the Texters’ torrid start.
Game Turning Point: Putting matters into his own hands, Jayson Castro shattered a 96-all count in style as he rose over a pair of NLEX defenders for the 18-foot jumper as time ran out.
Stat of the Game: The Texters’ offense was in full display in the first three cantos but they only scored nine points in the final frame, yet it still proved enough, thanks to Jayson Castro.
Next Games:
NLEX against San Miguel Beer on Feb. 24 at the Cuneta Astrodome
Talk ’N Text versus Kia Motors on Feb. 25 at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum
He Said It:
Talk ’N Text coach Jong Uichico: We didn’t do a good job in handling their comeback. We made them score a lot of points. We were lucky to win the game. We can go back and see how we didn't handle their comeback very well.
The scores:
TALK N' TEXT 98 - Johnson 32, Castro 16, De Ocampo 13, Miller 9, Rosser 9, Carey 6, Aban 5, Alas 4, Fonacier 2, Reyes R.J. 2.
NLEX 96 - Thornton 37, Villanueva J. 13, Ramos 10, Cardona 9, Canaleta 8, Taulava 6, Arboleda H. 5, Villanueva E. 3, Baloria 3, Lingganay 2, Hermida 0, Arboleda W. 0, Borboran 0.
Quarter scores: 32-19, 65-40, 89-71, 98-96
