TALK N TEXT BLASTS ROS
From a blown effort the last time, Talk n Text returned playing heads-up every inch of the way and dealt Rain or Shine a nightmarish beating in their All-Souls Day duel at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
The Tropang Texters sent the Elasto Painters on their knees on a dominant 99-76 victory that forged a tie between the two teams at sixth place in the PBA Philippine Cup at 2-2.
“We just fixed what went wrong in the Alaska game. We checked what went wrong offensively and defensively, and tried to be consistent in that aspect,” said Talk n Text coach Jong Uichico as they bounced back from their loss to the Aces where they blew away a big 18-point spread.
The Texters built a 15-point margin right in the first half, pulled away further in the third period and made sure not to bungle their effort by not letting up until the end.
“Hindi namin na-sustain yung intensity namin the last time and we were singlehandedly manhandled by Calvin Abueva,” said Uichico.
No way that would happen in this game with Ranidel de Ocampo, Jay Washington, Kevin Alas, Matt Rosser and Harvey Carey taking turns to give TnT the needed push.
Curiously, Alas had his breakout in the pros against the Rain or Shine team that selected him at. No 2 overall in the last draft but sent him to Talk n Text in a trade.
Alas sizzled with 18 points, six rebounds and four assists in 22 minutes of action.
Rosser, the other top rookie Talk n Text acquired from a separate trade, put in 11 points, six rebounds, two assists and one steal in 39 minutes.
“Alam naman natin ang kapabilidad nung dalawang rookies, and we’re giving them the minutes to gain confidence,” said Uichico.
“Sometimes, they would have that breakout game. Ang tanong kung pwede ba nilang ibigay yun consistently. Importante iyon to give Jason (Castro) a chance to rest,” Uichico added.
With the importance of the game having lost two of their first three games, Uichico stuck with his core group with Kelly Williams, Washington, Carey, Alas, Rosser, Larry Fonacier and Ranidel de Ocampo utilized no less than 18 minutes each.
De Ocampo topscored with 20 points, Washinton added 18 markers while Carey piled up 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Not helping Rain or Shine’s cause was Paul Lee hurting his right shin in a collision with Ryan Reyes in the third quarter.
Talk n Text led by as many as 25 at 83-58 and cruised to the win. (SB)
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