PBA: Short-handed Llamados out-last Talk 'N Text

The B-MEG Llamados became the first PBA team to claim victory at the Mall of Asia Arena, with a gritty, short-handed win over the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters, 94-91, Saturday, in the semifinal round of the 2012 PBA Governors' Cup.

"I told the guys that it would be cool if we win tonight," said B-MEG head coach Tim Cone. "Twenty, thirty years from now, people would remember who won tonight."

The game left players from both squads black and blue, as James Yap sat out the entire second half with back pain, while Ranidel de Ocampo had to be taken to the hospital for stitches, following a head-on collision with Marc Pingris in the first half.

The Tropang Texters had Paul Harris and Jimmy Alapag to kick-start the quarter with a 15-5 run, but after a Marqus Blakely slam with seven minutes to go, the Llamados would recover to bring the lead down to one, 17-16.

Their run won't last long though, as the Texters would go on a 10-0 blast, 27-16, with 57 seconds remaining, before B-MEG strung three points to end the period, 27-19.

The insertion of Mark Barroca in the second period spelled success for the Llamados, who rallied to tie the game at 31-all with seven minutes remaining. Talk n' Text responded with a run-and-gun clinic, as it converted off B-MEG turnovers to put the Texters up by 10 yet again, 42-32.

The gutsy Pingris would responded for the Llamados, with Blakely helping out to trim the lead down to three, 42-39, but they were met in kind by the two-guard combination of Alapag and Jayson Castro, who counterpunched with a 7-0 run, including a buzzer-beating layup off the glass with 0.6 remaining that secured a ten point lead for Talk 'N Text  at the half, 49-39.

B-MEG slowly ate through the Talk 'N Text lead in the third, going on a 15-5 run to tie it up at 54-all with seven minutes remaining. The back-and-forth continued, with Yancy de Ocampo battling Japeth Aguilar in the paint as the third quarter ended with the two teams even at 67-all.

In the final period, Castro scored on a lay-up plus a foul to give Talk n' Text a one point lead, 82-81,  but B-MEG countered with a 7-0 run to go up 88-82.

The Texters were ready to strike in the final minute, with Ranidel de Ocampo splitting from the line to make it a one possession game, 91-88, but at the other end of the floor, the Llamados would play a precise passing game, with Reavis scoring an uncontested shot right below the basket, 93-88.

A Castro turnover gave B-MEG the ball with 43 seconds left, as Josh Urbiztondo was sent to the line where he made one of two, 94-88 with 40 seconds remaining. In response, the Texters tried to go for one last push as Larry Fonacier scored a three from the corner to cut the lead yet again to three, 94-91, with 24 seconds remaining.

The Llamados expected a Talk n' Text foul as Barroca dribbled the ball on the sideline, but there was no whistle on Alapag, giving the Texters a chance to tie with 17.8 seconds left in the game.

The Texters went to Ranidel de Ocampo with a three, but Blakely played straight up defense, causing the Talk 'N Text big man to miss the mark completely. With 2.3 seconds remaining, PJ Simon was sent to the line where he missed both free throws. Blakely and Ranidel de Ocampo struggled for the rebound, with the latter losing the ball to the baseline with 0.8 seconds left, allowing B-MEG to inbound the ball to secure its first win in the semifinals.

"We struggled all game," coach Cone admitted. "James was ready to go but he hurt his back. He tried it out but he wasn't moving his feet well. It wasn't natural so we decided it's too much risk to continue to play him."

James logged just 14 minutes and finished scoreless on 0-for-6 shooting. In his place, Marqus Blakely played the entire game, and logged a mighty double-double of 26 points and 20 rebounds, plus three assists, five steals and four blocks.

Josh Urbiztondo pumped in 14 more points, while the local front court of Pingris, Rafi Reavis and Yancy De Ocampo teamed up for 38 points, 14 boards and 10 assists.

"Good thing Yancy [de Ocampo] came out," said Cone. "He played physical basketball [and] that changed the game for us. Blakely was struggling in the first half; in the second half, he came out and took over. He got into a flow. He's so dynamic."

TNT got 24 points and 13 rebounds from Paul Harris, but it just wasn't enough. Jimmy Alapag notched 17 points and eight assists, Jayson Castro added 15 more markers, and Kelly Williams had 15 points.

B-MEG shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, making five triples, which made Talk 'N Text's 4-of-24 clip look putrid in comparison.  The Llamados did however turn the ball over 23 times, which lead to 25 turnover points for their opponents.

The win boosted B-MEG to a 7-3 record in the standings, just a step behind the league-best 8-2 Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. Talk 'N Text on the other hand fell to .500, at 5-5. - AMD, GMA News



The scores:

B-MEG 94 - Blakely 26, Urbiztondo 14, Pingris 12, Reavis 12, De Ocampo 10, Simon 8, Barroca 7, Villanueva 5, Yap 0.
 
TALK N' TEXT 91 - Harris 24, Alapag 17, Castro 15, Williams 13, Fonacier 9, Aguilar 8, De Ocampo 3, Reyes 2, Aban 0, Lao 0, Peek 0.
 
Quarter scoring: 19-27, 39-49, 67-67, 94-91