Without their import, Talk 'N Text squeaks past GlobalPort to sweep elims
Even without the presence of import Richard Howell, Talk 'N Text found enough ways to survive hard-fighting GlobalPort.
Digging deep into their vast reservoir of experience, the Tropang Texters held off the Batang Pier in a thrilling finish Friday night with a nail-biting 92-91 victory to complete a sweep of the PBA Commissioner’s Cup eliminations round at the Mall of Asia Arena.
With the 6-foot-7 Howell sidelined with a right shoulder injury that he sustained in their 85-82 win over Rain or Shine last Wednesday, the Tropang Texters found the Batang Pier a tough nut to crack collectively but got clutch baskets from veterans Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo to become the first squad in the last 24 years to complete a sweep of an elimination round in a regular conference.
Presto was the previous team to wield a big broom in the elimination round back in the 1990 All-Filipino Conference when it won its first 10 games.
The 6-foot-6 De Ocampo led a balanced offensive attack with 17 points, all but six of them coming in the payoff canto, while Castro overcame a lackluster outing witb four crucial markers inside the last two minutes that enabled Talk 'N Text to dodge one big bullet in the mold of GlobalPort.
The Batang Pier suffered their eighth straight setback but not after giving the Texters all they could handle.
Despite squandering a 67-60 cushion and staring at an 85-80 deficit, GlobalPort refused to easily fade into the night as veteran guard Alex Cabagnot and import Evan Brock teamed up in pulling them to within two with 26.1 seconds left.
Then the Texters kept the door ajar when Castro turned the ball over as he tried to elude the trapping defense and saw the leather sailed out of bounds off his right foot.
However, the Batang Pier failed to pounce on the golden chance as Cabagnot took a forced shot against TNT forward Kelly Williams, forcing Brock to give a pre-emptive foul to Castro who then coolly sank his freebies to make it 91-87, time down to just 6.5 seconds.
In the ensuing play, Cabagnot redeemed himself by knocking down a big triple before teammate Ronnie Matias send De Ocampo to the line off a foul.
After De Ocampo split his free throws, GlobalPort coach Pido Jarencio sued for time and mapped out a play on Brock, who was then fouled by TNT forward Harvey Carey with 1.9 ticks remaining.
The shifty American import made his first free throw but his second shot went short, enabling Larry Fonacier to secure the leather and dribble out the final seconds.
Going for naught with GlobalPort's setback was Cabagnot's conference-high of 29 markers along with the 26-point, 18-rebound outing by Brock.
The Main Man: Ranidel De Ocampo answered the call in the absence of import Richard Howell by taking charge with 11 of his 17 points coming in the fourth, spiked by a pair of triples.
Honorable Mentions: Backing up De Ocampo were the likes of Jayson Castro, Kelly Williams, Danny Seigle and Larry Fonacier.
Game Turning Point: With the game on the line, Evan Brock had the chance to force an extra five-minute period and extend GlobalPort's chances but only made the front-end of his freebies, with his second try coming up short to the delight of Talk 'N Text.
He Said It:
Talk 'N Text coach Norman Black: “Hats off to my locals for coming out and playing hard and going for the win in this game."
Talk 'N Text forward Kelly Williams: "Everbody needed to step up for our import and we did."
The scores:
TALK N' TEXT 92 - De Ocampo 17, Williams 16, Seigle 16, Fonacier 15, Canaleta 10, Castro 5, Alapag 4, Aban 3, Salamat 2, Baclao 2, Carey 2, Reyes Rob 0, Reyes Jai 0, Reyes Ryan 0.
GLOBALPORT 91 - Cabagnot 29, Brock 26, Salva 10, Salvador 8, Nabong 6, Macapagal 6, Matias 2, Sharma 2, Custodio 2, Yee 0, Chua 0, Garcia 0.
Quarters: 22-19, 40-41, 63-67, 92-91
