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TNT parades new import, drubs Ginebra

Jayson Castro and LA Tenorio.

Depleted and all, Talk ‘N Text dug down deep and inched closer towards another finals appearance.

Fully asserting their might in the second half, the Tropang Texters turned a tight battle into a rout, essaying a masterful 98-80 victory over Barangay Ginebra Wednesday night in Game 3 of their best-of-five PBA Commissioners Cups semifinals before a record crowd at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Already without key players Kelly Williams and Jared Dillinger, Talk ‘N Text also missed the services of ace playmaker Jimmy Alapag, who was out with a calf strain, but it hardly mattered as the rest of the bench stepped up to fashion out the big rout in front of an announced record crowd of 23,108.

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Tapped to replace the unpredictable 7-foot import Jerome Jordan, new reinforcement Tony Mitchell dished out a solid debut of 29 points while local gunner Larry Fonacier broke out of his shooting slump with 20 markers for the Texters, who outscored the Gin Kings 55-32 in the second half.

Jayson Castro and Ranidel De Ocampo tallied 15 points apiece for Talk ‘N Text, which can close out the series with another win this Friday.

Import Vernon Macklin and Kerby Raymundo chipped in 17 points each but the Gin Kings were completely shut down by the Texters’ defense in the second half after a strong start.
 
The Main Man: He isn’t that tall enough for an import this conference but Mitchell definitely played taller than his 6-foot-6 frame.

Bristling with quickness, athleticism and gung-ho offensive approach, the former Alabama standout proved to be a handful against his Ginebra defenders, notably in the third quarter when he scattered 11 points to match the entire output of the Kings.

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Aside from his offensive skills that can be compared to the likes of former PBA great Tony Harris, Mitchell is also armed with a big mouth, although against the Kings he let his game do the talking.
 
Honorable Mention: Averaging a mere two points in the first two games, Fonacier clearly got his usual offensive groove back.

His offensive contribution now needed more than ever, the former Ateneo stalwart came through in the second half, draining a pair of triples and adding another four more points in the a big second-half domination by the Texters.
 
Game Turning Point: Trailing by five at the break, the Texters showed up with fire in their eyes in the second half, initially forging a 56-all count before uncorking a jarring 30-9 onslaught bridging the third and fourth cantos for a whopping 86-65 lead.

From there, the Gin Kings–their offense completely out of sync–couldn’t get closer less than 17 points.
 
Quotable Quotes:
“We just found some motivation to win. This game’s for Kelly, JD and Jimmy. Desperate talaga kami dahil sa dami ng dinaanan namin this conference. We don’t wanna let them down,” stated Fonacier.
 
“This was a very interesting situation for us tonight. We didn’t really know what to expect. Tony Mitchell reminds me of Tony Harris. He played pretty well today. I think as the series goes on, he'll get better. Hat’s off to my local players. Our team continued to battle, continued to fight and continued to believe that they can win,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black.
 
 
 
TALK ‘N TEXT (98) – Mitchell 29, Fonacier 20, Castro 15, De Ocampo 15, Peek 6, Raymundo 5, Reyes 4, Ferriols 3, Aban 1, Gamalinda 0, Al-Hussaini 0, Alvarez 0, Carey 0.

GINEBRA (80) – Macklin 17, Raymundo 17, Tenorio 10, Ellis 9, Helterbrand 9, Baracael 6, Labagala 4, Wilson 4, Urbiztondo 2, Maierhofer 2, Taha 0, Espiritu 0, Mamaril 0.
Quarterscores: 23-21, 43-48, 71-59, 98-80