TEXTERS STRETCH STREAK TO FOUR

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TALK N Text finally got Larry Fonacier’s game back and pulled off a 101-96 victory Sunday to stay unbeaten in the PLDT Home Tvolution PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jayson Castro scored 25 points and Richard Howell notched 23 points and 20 rebounds, but it was Fonacier finally crashing the double digit barrier for the first time in the conference with 16 markers that proved critical in the Tropang Texters’ fourth straight win.

“I was just getting myself in my spots, ready to receive the ball and my teammates found me,” related Fonacier, who went into the game averaging just 4.6 points.

The one-time Rookie of the Year and Finals MVP shone the most in the stretch that mattered as he laced his eight fourth quarter points with two triples, the last giving TNT a 91-86 separation that proved too tough for Barako to overhaul inside the final 1:41.

As a result, the Texters assured themselves of a slot in the eight-team quarterfinals with their next goal stretching the streak as far as it could go.

Only the top eight teams proceed to the next round following the nine-game eliminations.

“It feels good to get off to a good start in the conference,” said TNT coach Norman Black. “As I’ve said before this is a short conference so it’s really important for us to get ahead and not play catch up in the end.”

That dire strait appears to be where Barako is headed.

Josh Dollard bounced back from a 12-point performance in his last game by scoring a gamehigh 33 points on top of 14 rebounds. But only Ronjay Buenafe, Denok Miranda and Willie Miller were able to backstop him in the final canto, where the Energy were outscored 34-28.

Barako’s second straight defeat dropped it to a 1-3 slate, tying it with idle Alaska for ninth spot.

This one should be as bitter to take for Barako as its 85-103 loss to Air21 last Friday.

The Energy assumed control early, even leading by 12 points in the opening period by moving the ball well and preventing the Texters from going to their dribble-drive offense.
Then TNT made the adjustments and started clawing back before taking full charge in the fourth period.

“It was a struggle for us in the first half because they were zoning our pick-and-rolls,” admitted Black. “We can’t execute against it. But in the second half we did a much better job of executing.”

Aiding the Texters most was Buenafe missing three charities and Mick Pennisi committing a foul on Ranidel de Ocampo during an Energy possession following Fonacier’s fourth trey of the game.

De Ocampo sank those freebies to make it a 93-86 game, only 64 ticks left.

“Those missed charities and that foul were the ones that hurt us the most,” related Barako coach Bong Ramos. “They also scored 17 points off our (13 turnovers), so that shows breaks of the game lang talaga nagkatalo.”

Buenafe wound up with 18 points and Miranda 14 on top of six assists. But they each scored only four points in the fourth.

Castro and Howell, on the other hand, each had six along with Jimmy Alapag, who scored all his points from the stripes. (NC)

The scores:

TALK N’ TEXT 101 – Castro 25, Howell 23, Canaleta 18, Fonacier 16, De Ocampo 11, Alapag 6, Williams 2, Aban 0, Reyes 0, Baclao 0, Carey 0.

BARAKO 96 – Dollard 33, Buenafe 18, Miranda 14, Intal 13, Miller 11, Pennisi 3, Jensen 2, Pena 2, Deutchman 0, Fortuna 0, Marcelo 0.

Quarterscores: 24-30, 45-48, 67-68, 101-96

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