The Texters zoomed to a 12-0 conference record, repeating over the Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters, 94-87, in Game 2 for a commanding 2-0 lead in the semifinals. Despite import Richard Howell struggling with just 12 points on 4/11 FG shooting, coach Norman Black’s crew still got the job done. This was mainly because Gilas boys Ranidel De Ocampo, Jayson Castro, and Jimmy Alapag, along with former MVP Kelly Williams were all up to the challenge. RDO led TNT with 20 points and 7 rebounds, while the backcourt duo of Castro and Alapag combined to score 33 markers. Williams was also assertive in the paint, dropping 14 points and grabbing 13 boards. TNT shot 40% from beyond the arc here, with 6 triples coming from both RDO and Alapag.
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| Ranidel De Ocampo came up big as the Texters went up 2-0 against the Elasto-Painters. |
Injuries and bad shooting never make for a good combination in a basketball game. That much was apparent here, as the Painters, already without big man JR Quiñahan this conference, weren’t able to dress power forward Jervy Cruz, who got injured before the game. To compound things, import Wayne Chism, whose game has been on an upward trend lately, also went out with an injury. He sprained his knee in the second period and never returned. Maybe the Painters could have still stolen this one had they shot better, but big guns Paul Lee and Jeff Chan both struggled from the floor. They combined to shoot 1/12 from beyond the arc and just 4/24 overall.
Silver lining: There was one silver lining to this game for coach Yeng Guiao, however. His prized rookie center, Raymond Almazan, continued to show flashes of greatness. The former Letran slotman stepped up to fill the void left by ROS’s injured bigs, scoring a dozen points and hauling down a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with 1 blocked shot. Almazan’s numbers haven’t really “popped” as much as, say, Greg Slaughter’s or Ian Sangalang’s, but his steady improvement might make him a potentially huge weapon for the Painters sooner rather than later.
Game Recap by Rey Joble/InterAKTV:
TALK N TEXT over RAIN OR SHINE, 94-87
The Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters held off a hard-fighting Rain or Shine Elasto Painters squad, 94-87, to take a 2-0 lead in their PLDT Home TVolution Commissioner’s Cup semifinals series on Wednesday at Cuneta Astrodome.
Remaining undefeated in the tournament with their 12th straight win, Talk ‘N Text took advantage of a depleted Rain or Shine frontline. The Elasto Painters, already without JR Quinahan for the tournament, lost Jervy Cruz to a knee injury before the game.
Disaster struck for the Elasto Painters in the second quarter after import Wayne Chism suffered what is suspected to be a sprained knee after being fouled on a rebound play by Talk ‘N Text counterpart Richard Howell.
“Give credit to the RoS team, they fought with their hearts out,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black, noting that it wasn’t always easy to battle a team playing all-Filipino.
“What’s important right now is we won the game.”
Talk ‘N Text had its own set of frontcourt problems, with Howell finishing with just 12 points and 11 rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter after just 25 minutes of play.
“I guess my next job is try to put my import in a better position to score,” said Black.
Ranidel De Ocampo picked up the slack, scoring 20 points and grabbing seven rebounds as the Tropang Texters pounced on a Rain or Shine squad trotting out small-ball lineups for most of the second half. Former PBA Most Valuable Player Kelly Williams also stepped up big, scoring 14 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for Talk ‘N Text.
The Elasto Painters did not go away despite their shorthanded roster, staying within striking distance for most of the fourth quarter. In the end, however, Rain or Shine did not have enough firepower with top guns Paul Lee and Jeff Chan struggling from the field.
Lee scored 10 points but shot just 3-of-15 from the field, while Chan had just two points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Big men Beau Belga and Raymond Almazan carried the fight for Rain or Shine. Belga had 16 points and 12 rebounds while Almazan added 12 and 16 for the Elasto Painters.
Talk ‘N Text could end the series in Game Three on Friday at SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
“We’ll try to finish this on Friday,” said Black.
TNT 94 – De Ocampo 20, Castro 19, Williams 14, Alapag 14, Howell 12, Fonacier 7, Carey 4, Seigle 2, Canaleta 2, Aban 0, Reyes Jai 0, Reyes Ryan 0, Baclao 0.
ROS 87 – Belga 16, Arana 14, Almazan 12, Chism 10, Tang 10, Lee 10, Norwood 5, Rodriguez 4, Chan 2, Nuyles 2, Ibanes 2.
QS: 21-17, 43-38, 65-64, 94-87
Images by Nuki Sabio/PBA
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