TALK ‘N TEXT BEATS GLOBALPORT, ENDS TWO-GAME SKID
TALK ‘N Text head coach Norman Black has a clear-cut idea on when his team would gel and play its own brand of fiery basketball.
“By the start of October, hopefully, we will be better than what we are right now,” said the 10-time champion tactician.
By that time, he added, the adjustment period between import Tony Mitchell and his teammates from Gilas Pilipinas would be over and everybody will be playing sweet music together.
The desired cohesiveness has already started surfacing as the Tropang Texters fashioned a 102-95 win over Globalport Sunday to snap out of its skid in the PBA Governors Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
National players Larry Fonacier, Jayson Castro and Ranidel de Ocampo had key contributions as they combined for 42 points in helping Mitchell whom they only got to play with in practice last Tuesday and in a first official game just last Friday.
In the end, Talk ‘N Text snapped out of a two-game skid and moved up into a share of fourth-running spot with its victim and recent tormentor Meralco on identical 2-2 win-loss slates overall.
The goal now is to join the top four and stay there as the Top 4 slots carry with it twice-to-win advantages in the quarterfinals, sometime later this month.
That’s still a long ways off, according to Black, admitting his team is still groping for form.
“We’re not a very good team right now so every game is gonna be tough,” said Black. “Everything right now is a big struggle, so what we want to do is hang in there and eventually play the kind of basketball we know we can play.”
Markeith Cummings scattered 33 points and Gary David poured in a personal conference-high 15 points, but Globalport still failed to follow up on its 91-88 win over Alaska in its last outing and also got foiled in its bid to better its start in the last conference.
Biggest difference in the game was the Batang Pier’s 5-for-15 field shooting in the fourth period, enabling the Tropang Texters to post their second 14-point spread at 99-85, which acted as enough of a cushion in the final four minutes of play.
Fonacier and Mitchell scored eight points and De Ocampo six in that stretch while Globalport went 3-for-nine from the field, causing Talk ‘N Text’s surge from a tight 75-77 game at the end of the third quarter.
“At least our defense has been a little bit better than in our first two games,” noted Black after holding an opponent below 100 for the second straight game. “I would like us to get better at it as the conference goes on.”
There were still some lapses as Globalport managed to trim the deficit to 95-100, with still 40.4 seconds to go, and even had the chance to draw nearer when Kelly Nabong stole off Mitchell in the ensuing rebound.
But Nabong issued an errant pass which had the ball hitting Cummings’ face and landing on the baseline that totally blew the Batang Pier’s hopes.
The Tropang Texters actually enjoyed a similar comfortable spread in the third period, when Rabeh Al-Hussaini and Ryan Reyes joined Fonacier and Mitchell in stretching their 49-44 halftime lead to 66-52.
Globalport refused to buckle so easily, however as Cummings and Jay Washington led a sustained attack that put it within just two going to the final 12 minutes of play.
Cummings strung up six of his eight third quarter points to end the surge while Washington added eight of his total 14 points. (NC)
The scores:
Talk ‘N Text 102 – Mitchell 35, Fonacier 19, Castro 12, De Ocampo 11, Reyes 8, Al-Hussaini 6, Anthony 5, Aban 5, Peek 1, Carey 0.
Globalport 95 – Cummings 33, David 15, Washington 14, Mercado 10, Hayes 8, Alonzo 5, Nabong 4, Lingganay 4, Salvador 2, Buensuceso 0, Miller 0.
Quarterscores: 26-19, 49-44, 77-75, 102-95
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