TALK ‘N TEXT BACK TO WINNING WAYS
Reigning NBA D-League co-MVP Othyus Jeffers made his long awaited PBA debut a memorable one as he towed Talk ‘N Text to a 105-99 win over Meralco in the 2014 PLDT Home Telpad PBA Governors’ Cup Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.
Rumored to be a reinforcement for the better part of the last few years, the 6-foot-5 Jeffers exploded for 26 points in the first half in his first PBA game, before cooling off in the second half to finish with 38 points and 13 rebounds for the Tropang Texters.
Ranidel de Ocampo also added 22 markers and six boards for Talk ‘N Text, while Commissioner’s Cup Best Player of the Conference Jayson Castro carried the fight in the end as he had 14 of his 21 points in the payoff period.
“It was a good way to start the third conference. I told the players that the best way to get back in the groove is just to come out and get a win today, to put the Finals behind us. And the players responded and played very well,” said Talk ‘N Text head coach Norman Black whose team was coming off a 3-1 best-of-5 Finals loss to San Mig Coffee in the Commissioner’s Cup where they were unbeaten in 13 games heading into the title series.
The multi-titled mentor bared that despite his numbers, Jeffers, who had jumbled stints in Italy, the NBA D-League, and NBA squads Utah Jazz, San Antonio Spurs, Washington Wizards, and Minnesota Timberwolves, just practiced thrice with their squad, given the close scheduling between the Commissioner’s Cup Finals and the Governors’ Cup.
“He just had three practices with us because of the Finals, so we’re hoping in getting him in better shape and get him better blended with the team. And hopefully, in the next few days, we will accomplish that,” he said.
With Talk ‘N Text leading 92-90 in the final five minutes, Bolts forward Cliff Hodge launched a 7-0 run to grab the lead, 97-92, with 2:23 left. But Castro and de Ocampo conspired in an 8-0 counter run for the Tropa to take the lead, 100-97, with 44.3 ticks left.
With the Bolts trailing 102-99 after a couple of Castro freebies in the final minute, Sunday Salvacion missed on a desperation three-pointer from way beyond the arc with eight seconds left, allowing Castro and Larry Fonacier to drain three charities and peg the final score.
“They got a little bit close down the stretch, but Meralco is a good team and we respect them. They played us hard tonight, but we’re still able to come out with the victory,” Black said. “We have a good team but we’re going against other good teams. We’re not head and shoulders above anybody in this league. Other teams are also competitive, so you expect them to come out and play hard, make runs and you just try to respond to them.”
Black admitted the heartbreaking finish in the previous conference still lingers.
“We’re coming off of a Finals loss so you’d expect that there will be a little problem in our confidence in the beginning. It would take a while for them to get on a groove again, get the confidence back, and I expected that anytime you lose a game, not just the Finals. Some games, you have a problem getting your confidence back for the whole first quarter before you get back in playing the type of basketball you want to play,” Black explained. “But in the end, we got the win. It’s all I’m concerned of at this point. We’ll just try to win as many games as possible to give us a chance to win it again at the end. That’s our goal right now.”
Hodge led Meralco with his career-high-tying 24 points alongside 11 rebounds, while import Terrence Williams almost had a triple-double with 20 markers, 14 boards, and eight assists. Gary David (15), Reynel Hugnatan (12), and Jared Dillinger (12) also finished in double-digits in scoring for the Bolts, who are in a 0-2 start for the second time in the last three conferences. (RL)
The scores: (Click HERE for full boxscores)
TALK ‘N TEXT 105 – Jeffers 38, de Ocampo 22, Castro 21, Carey 7, Fonacier 6, Williams 4, Alapag 3, Seigle 2, Canaleta 2, Ryan Reyes 0, Rob Reyes 0, Baclao 0.
MERALCO 99 – Hodge 24, Williams 20, David 15, Hugnatan 12, Dillinger 12, Salvacion 6, Ildefonso 4, Bringas 2, Sena 2, Wilson 2, Timberlake 0.
Quarterscores: 26-19, 50-43, 75-72,105-99.
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