PBA: Omolon steers Air21 to upset win over Talk 'N Text

Air21 caught defending champion Talk 'N Text on its worst night, scoring a convincing 89-78 win in the PBA Commissioner's Cup Wednesday at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

The Express leaned on the brilliant plays of veteran forward Nelbert Omolon to complete the stunning win that dealt the Tropang Texters their first loss in the mid-season tournament. Omolon scattered 23 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and blocked four shots in an all-around performance that more than made up for the absence of ailing import Marcus Douthit. The Express import finished with only six points on 2-of-13 field goal shooting after missing his first nine shots of the game. The naturalized player was just as atrocious from the foul line with a 2-of-10 clip. But he was active off the boards, snaring down 26 rebounds to tie his career-high. "He's (Douthit) not feeling well," said Air21 coach Franz Pumaren of his import. "He's still groping for form. He's not the usual Marcus Douthit. But being a true professional, he still went out there Any penetration Talk 'N Text had, Marcus was there to help out." The Express checked a two-game skid and evened their record to 2-2, improving their chances of earning a quarterfinals berth. The Texters, who won their first three games, fell to 3-1 and the loss spoiled new import Donrell Harvey's debut. "Probably we're lucky to have Talk 'N Text on their off night," admitted Pumaren. "They started out flat and we grabbed the opportunity. This is an entirely different team from the previous team (in the Philippine Cup). I just hope we can sustain the run." The Express also got a lot of help from Jojo Duncil and Mark Isip, who finished with 16 points each, and RJ Jazul's 12 markers. Surprisingly, the Express dominated the entire match, leading by 58-43, and were able to survive the Tropang Texters' onslaught that saw the reigning champions threatening at 67-66—after a Ranidel de Ocampo basket—with still six minutes and 24 seconds to play . But Isip scored on a putback, Jazul drained a three-pointer, Omolon came through with a break-away dunk, while Duncil made three free throws to cap a 10-2 run to push the lead back to 77-68 with 3:47 to go. Harvey had 21 points and 28 rebounds—the highest in the league in the last four years—in his Philippine debut, but also shot poorly from the field (8-of-20). De Ocampo, Jayson Castro and Larry Fonacier added 13, 12 and 11 points each for the Tropang Texters, who were held 27 points below their scoring average of 105. They also went 31-of-96 from the field for a 32.3 percent shooting clip. — JVP, GMA News Scores: