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| Larry Fonacier is having a career start to the 2012-2013 PBA Season. Can he keep it up? |
The
baby-faced assassin struck again.
Larry
Fonacier came up big in the final frame for Coach Norman Black and the Tropang
Texters, hitting several key jumpers that kept the fiery, if depleted, Petron
Blaze Boosters at bay. The former King Eagle ended up with 21 points, 6
rebounds, 4 assists and 3 triples.
Fonacier,
who suited up for the men’s national team for the first time earlier this year,
is having a banner season. In 8 games so far, he’s averaging 14.0ppg, 5.3rpg,
2.9apg, and 1.4spg in 35.5 minutes per outing. All of those numbers are
CAREER-HIGHS. He’s also second on the squad in terms of player efficiency,
behind only Jayson Castro.
With the
Texters remaining atop the standings and looking at another winning romp
through the Philippine Cup, the spotlight will continue to fall on Larry
Fonacier. His performance will be seen as a reliable barometer for just how far
TNT can go.
Game Recaps:
RAIN OR SHINE
ELASTO-PAINTERS over ALASKA ACES, 101-93
Against the
hottest team in the league, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters rode the even
hotter shooting of Jeff Chan to complete a come-from-behind 101-93 victory
Wednesday night over the Alaska Aces at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Elasto
Painters’ “Negros Sniper” sizzled for 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter
to help his team snap the Aces’ five-game winning run.
“Alaska is
the hottest team, but the streak has to end somehow,” said Rain or Shine coach
Yeng Guiao. “The law of averages is working for us in this game, pareho, yung
Meralco and Alaska, two hot teams, na natyempuhan namin, but we have to grind
it out.”
Alaska
looked poised to continue its streak, leading 57-47 early in the second half
before taking a 77-71 heading into the fourth quarter. But Rain or Shine
tightened up its defense in the pivotal period, outscoring Alaska 30-16, to
notch its sixth win in eight games, which is good for solo second place.
“It was only
in the late stages of the fourth when we were able to breakaway,” said Guiao.
JR Quinahan
also had a great shooting game, scoring 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the
field. The Rain or Shine frontline also helped hound Alaska star rookie Calvin
Abueva into his worst game as a professional, with the ex-San Sebastian forward
posting just seven points and six rebounds.
But Guiao
said Abueva wasn’t the focal point of Rain or Shine’s preparation for the game.
“We didn’t
prepare for ‘The Beast.’ Mas focused kami doon sa mga surot na pumepesta ng
kalaban like [JVee] Casio and [Cyrus] Baguio,” said Guiao.
Chan and
Quinahan led a balanced Rain or Shine attack that saw seven players scoring at
least seven points apiece.
JVee Casio
and Cyrus Baguio carried the fight with 16 points each for Alaska, which saw
its win-loss record to 5-3.
ROS 101 – Chan 22, Quinahan 20, Arana
13, Rodriguez 12, Norwood 9, Matias 8, Belga 7, Tang 4, Ibanes 4, Cruz 2
ALA 93 – Casio 16, Baguio 16, Espinas
13, Baracael 9, Dela Cruz 8, Hontiveros 8, Abueva 7, Jazul 6, Thoss 4, Laure 4,
Eman 2, Reyes 0
QS: 22-25, 43-47, 71-77, 101-93
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| Jeff Chan had another big game as ROS halted the winning streak of Alaska. |
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| JR Quinahan pounded the interior to finish with 20 big points. |
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| JV Casio continued his strong play, but it was not enough for the Aces to beat the Painters. |
TALK N TEXT TROPANG TEXTERS
over PETRON BLAZE BOOSTERS, 92-82
Talk ‘N Text
pounced on an undermanned Petron Blaze squad for a trouble-free 92-82 victory
Wednesday night in the PBA Philippine Cup at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Boosters
played with only eight men, but still stood toe-to-toe with the Tropang Texters
in the first half. But the reigning Philippine Cup champions took care of
business in the second half.
Talk ‘N Text
took advantage of injuries to Petron’s top three centers — June Mar Fajardo,
Dorian Peña, and Danny Ildefonso — to score 15 second chance points.
Fajardo
(swollen scrotum) and Ildefonso (dislocated shoulder) were joined by Peña, the
latest addition to the Boosters’ sick bay.
“I hurt my
knee,” Pena told InterAKTV. “It’s not ACL though, but it’s hurting.”
Petron also
played minus Marcio Lassiter, who had a viral infection.
In a
desperation move, the Boosters enlisted free agent center Brian Faundo, who
played 20 minutes and produced four points.
The brunt of
the work, however, fell on the shoulders of Arwind Santos and Jay Washington,
who combined for 33 points and 17 rebounds. But Talk ‘N Text was too much for
the star duo.
“We played a
much better second half. In the first half we gave a lot of turnover and
fastbreak points,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black. “I told my players
that we won’t win a basketball game if we don’t get back on defense.”
Four players
led by Larry Fonacier, finished in double figures for the Tropang Texters. He
had 21 points, six rebounds and four assists in a solid all-around game.
TNT 92 – Fonacier 21, Williams 16, De
Ocampo 14, Alapag 13, Aban 9, Carey 6, Castro 5, Ferriols 4, Alvarez 2, Peek 2,
Raymundo 0, Gamalinda 0
PET 82 – Lutz 18, Santos 17, Washington
16, Yeo 10, Duncil 7, Miranda 6, Faundo 4, Cabagnot 4
QS: 17-23, 42-42, 69-60, 92-82
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| Kelly Williams soars high for a lay-up against the defense of Petron's Arwind Santos. |
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| Arwind Santos clutches his throat after receiving an elbow from TNT's Ranidel De Ocampo. |
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 Paolo Papa and Paul Ryan Tan)
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