TALK N TEXT CROWDS FINAL 4 SHORTCUT
Jay Washington and Danny Seigle dealt their former team San Miguel Beer severe beating in the final quarter and carried Talk n Text to a crucial win that kept the team in the hunt for an outright semifinal entry in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Friday.
Washington and Seigle put in nine points apiece in the payoff period as the Tropang Texters repulsed the Beermen, 107-101, to close out their elims stint at 8-3.
The Texters will now hope for a win by Barangay Ginebra over Rain or Shine on Sunday to get a shot at the Top Two via the quotient tiebreak system.
“We’ll cheer for the team that can get us there,” said Talk n Text coach Jong Uichico.
Stalled at 8-2, San Miguel Beer has one more crack at an outright semis berth versus Blackwater Tuesday.
Jayson Castro, Kevin Alas and Matt Rosser put in big help as the Texters stretched their streak to four games while halting the Beermen’s own run at five games.
“Mahirap, dahil two straight tough games. I have to give it to the boys. They hung in there and they didn’t relax,” said Uichico.
He made special mention of Seigle, with whom he won couples of championships at San Miguel Beer.
“He’s always ready to play,” said Uichico.
“He has his deficiencies but he has his strengths. In my opinion, he deserves to be in the list of 40 PBA Greatest,” Uichico also said of the veteran Fil-Am player who narrowly missed the honor roll.
Seigle ignited two crucial runs by Talk n Text in the fourth quarter, the second one breaking a 96-all standoff in the last three minutes of the contest.
The former Wagner U stalwart scored back-to-back baskets touching off a 9-2 tear giving the Texters a 105-98 lead entering the final minute.
Arwind Santos and Junmar Fajardo combined for 20 points as the Beermen dominated the first half, taking a 55-48 lead into the final half.
The Beermen stretched their lead to 13, 62-49, in the third quarter, then the Texters worked on a 16-2 attack to wheel into the lead at 65-64.
The two teams engaged in a nip-and-tuck battle from there. (SB)
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