Talk 'N Text bucks Howell's early exit to stay unbeaten against Rain or Shine

Not even the absence of import Richard Howell in the second half and Rain or Shine’s last-ditch fightback could stop Talk ‘N Text’s surge to the top.

Displaying steely nerves in the stretch, the Tropang Texters survived the Elasto Painters in a thrilling windup Wednesday night 85-82 to realize an immediate goal in the PBA Commissioners Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

After the hard-working 6-foot-7 Howell apparently injured his right shoulder following an awkward fall in the second canto and was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures at halftime, Talk ‘N Text utilized its roster depth and exhibited its vaunted firepower in the third canto where it nearly duplicated its 36-point output in the first canto and built a surprising 70-54 cushion going to the final 12 minutes.

However, Rain or Shine mightily fought back and even pulled within 82-84 after guard Paul Lee drained a big triple off a timely kickout pass from import Wayne Chism, time down to just 61 seconds.

But a spate of mental errors in the critical juncture cost the Painters big time, the last seeing Chism’s failure to secure the rebound after a surprisingly two missed freebies by Talk ‘N Text veteran guard Jimmy Alapag with 8.5 seconds left.

That wasted opportunity enabled the Texters to restore their lead back to three at 82-85 following a Larry Fonacier split freebies off a pre-emptive foul by Jeff Chan with 7.5 seconds left.

Off a timeout sued by assistant coach Caloy Garcia who called the shots in the absence of top tactician Yeng Guiao who was attending a business trip in Europe, the Painters put their chances on the hands of center Beau Belga, who fired a contested triple that bounced off the rim just before the final buzzer sounded.

KG Canaleta tallied a game-high 19 points, 13 of them coming in the opening canto, while five other teammates added at least eight markers as Talk ‘N Text stretched its winning streak to eight and, in the process, secured the first twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.

Import Wayne Chism banged in a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds but Rain or Shine still saw its two-game winning streak cut short and dropped to 3-4, slipping into a tie with Air21 and idle Barangay Ginebra.
 
The Main Man: Virtually handicapped with the absence of import Richard Howell, Kelly Williams made a commendable job filling up the slack as he finished with 13 points, seven rebounds and a block while tirelessly clogging the lane to prevent RoS import Wayne Chism and Beaue Belga from making big damage.
 
Honorable Mentions: Complementing Williams in those anxious moments were the likes KG Canaleta, Larry Fonacier and Jimmy Alapag.

Game Turning Point: When Jimmy Alapag, widely considered as one of the most clutch players in the league today, missed a pair of freebies with Talk ‘N Text protecting a two-point lead in the closing seconds, Rain or Shine saw its chance of tying–or even stealing the win–get blown away after import Wayne Chism tapped the ball out of bounds instead of fully controlling it.

That crucial play forced the Painters wingman Jeff Chan to foul Texters counterpart Larry Fonacier, who went on to split his free throws for an 85-82 cushion.

Then RoS, with 7.5 seconds to go, relied on center Beau Belga to make a potentially-tying triple but his try just hit the iron just before the final buzzer sounded.
 
The scores:
 
TALK N' TEXT 85 - Canaleta 19, Williams 13, Seigle 12, Fonacier 11, Castro 8, De Ocampo 7, Carey 5, Alapag 5, Reyes 3, Howell 2, Reyes 0, Baclao 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 82 - Chism 18, Belga 12, Lee 11, Tiu 8, Chan 7, Arana 6, Almazan 5, Norwood 5, Cruz 4, Rodriguez 4, Tang 2, Uyloan 0, Nuyles 0, Teng 0.

Quarters: 21-14, 36-37, 70-54, 85-82.