2012 PBA Philippine Cup Roundup: October 24, 2012

PJ Simon is on the receiving end of a hard foul
from Elasto-Painter TY Tang.

James Yap picked a helluva time to commit a flagrant foul on Jireh Ibanes and, in the process, get ejected from a game for the first time in his PBA career.

The Visayan native and former UE Red Warrior chief gunner walloped Ibanes with less than 3 minutes to go in the final frame, and with his team leading to boot, which led to his ejection.

Ibanes muffed his charities, but teammate and Gilas 2.0 star Jeff Chan scored an improbable 4-point play in the bonus possession to spark the endgame windup of Rain or Shine.

In the first game, Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier combined for 28 points to lead the Texters past a very game Energy Colas team in a low-scoring encounter.

Game Recaps:

TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS over BARAKO BULL ENERGY COLAS, 79-76

Defense has always been Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black’s calling card.

The multi-titled mentor in the PBA and in the UAAP turned the run and gun Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters into a defensive-minded squad as they hacked out a pulsating 79-76 win over a very game Barako Bull Energy Cola squad Wednesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

“Defensively, this is how the way I wanted it,” said Black on the new defensive system he implemented on the squad. “Offensively, we’re still trying to work on our communication.”

The Tropang Texters, a fast-paced team under previous coach Chot Reyes, has become more than just a fancy footloose squad under Black.

The team worked extra hard to make stops, challenging Barako Bull at every turn and holding the Energy Cola below 40-percent field goal shooting (31-of-79) for the game.

Barako Bull, though, was still able to make a game out of it.

The game was tied entering the final two minutes, before spitfire guard Jayson Castro unleashed a crucial trey from the left wing with 1:27 left that proved to be the game’s marginal basket.

Talk ‘N Text then forced a turnover on Roger Yap in the next play and refused to allow Barako Bull easy access to the basket in their next two possessions as the Tropang Texters escaped with a win to remain perfect in five games.

Still, Black heaped praises on opposing coach Junel Baculi.

“He was able to come up with a sound game plan against us. They did a good job taking advantage of their edge in the post area. Luckily we came up with good stops down the stretch,” Black said.

TNT 79 – Castro 15, Fonacier 13, Peek 10, De Ocampo 9, Reyes 8, Williams 7, Alapag 6, Gamalinda 4, Carey 3, Dillinger 2, Ferriols 2

BAR 76 – Villanueva 16, Kramer 15, Anthony 12, Tubid 12, Ballesteros 6, Pennisi 6, Najorda 5, Urbiztondo 2, Yap 2, Cervantes 0

QS: 17-18, 46-45, 68-61, 79-76

Larry Fonacier continues to be a consistent
scorer for the Tropang Texters.

Rico Villanueva spins to the baseline strong.

Ryan Reyes fades away over three Barako Bull players.

RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO-PAINTERS over SAN MIG COFFEE MIXERS, 80-79

Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao had no explanation for how his team pulled off a dramatic come-from-behind victory against the San Mig Coffee Mixers.

“Don’t ask me how we won it. We played ugly basketball, but we still won the game,” Guiao said in the post-game interview.

The Elasto Painters fought back from 18 points down in the third period and came up with one big shot after another in the clutch as they completed an exciting 80-79 comeback win over the Mixers Wednesday night in the PBA Philippine Cup at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Jeff Chan lost in his individual battle with counterpart James Yap, but came through with the baskets that mattered most, including a pair of four-point plays, the second of which enabled his team to tie count at 77-all with more than two minutes remaining.

Chan finished with 22 points while Yap, who was ejected at the 2:34 mark of the fourth quarter, scored a game-high 28 points for the Mixers.

The San Mig Coffee superstar played his best game of the season, but was thrown out for hitting Jireh Ibanes on the face while the latter was going for a basket in transition. Ibanes missed his free throws, but Chan netted a four-point play in the ensuing possession to tie the game.

As if that wasn’t enough, Beau Belga followed it up with a dagger triple that broke the deadlock – the last of the game – and give the Elasto Painters an 80-77 lead with 1:50 left in the game.

Without their normal go-to-guy, San Mig Coffee got a little bit disorganized.

The Mixers had their chances, though, as PJ Simon drilled in a jumper to shove his team within striking distance.

JR Quinahan then muffed two free throws in the last five seconds of the game. The Mixers rushed to the other end, but Jonas Villanueva missed a potential game-winning jumper as time expired, allowing the Elasto Painters to escape with the win.

“We will first enjoy this win, watch the tape and see how we won this game. This win is beyond analysis and assessment, but this will rank as one of my weirdest wins ever. Maybe there’s somebody out there. Maybe it’s coach Roehl (Nadurata) who guided us in this victory,” added Guiao.

ROS 80 – Chan 22, Cruz 10, Norwood 9, Quinahan 9, Belga 7, Rodriguez 7, Tang 5, Arana 5, Jaime 4, Ibanes 2, Matias 0

SMC 79 – Yap 28, Simon 17, Ramos 9, Reavis 8, Gonzales 7, De Ocampo 4, Gaco 2, Barroca 2, Villanueva 2

QS: 17-26, 31-40, 50-66, 80-79.

Aldrech Ramos battled old college rival Jervy Cruz.

Gabe Norwood skies during a jump-ball situation.

Here's the YouTube clip showing James Yap's ejection:

Here's the YouTube clip showing Jeff Chan's two four-point plays:

Source: Unless otherwise specified, game recaps were compressed and compiled from InterAKTV. (Writing credit to Rey Joble.)

Images: All images are from InterAKTV. (Photo credit to Paul Ryan Tan and Paolo Papa) 

Video: All video clips are from the InterAKTV YouTube channel.