PBA: Talk 'N Text wins PHL Cup Finals rematch against Rain or Shine

In a rematch of last season's Philippine Cup Finals, the defending three-peat champs Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters hung on to bounce their foes, the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, 90-87, in the PLDT MyDSL 2014 PBA Philippine Cup, Tuesday, at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

The Texters squandered a lead that was as high as 21-points in the second quarter, and allowed Rain or Shine to tie up the game, 81-81, as a Gabe Norwood layup capped a three-point barrage halfway through the final period. Ranidel De Ocampo though made big shots in the endgame, including the final go-ahead bucket and a crucial free throw to cool off the Elasto Painters.

De Ocampo was feted as player of the game for his 20-point, six-rebound effort, including a 3-of-4 clip from beyond the arc.

The Tropang Texters (4-2) have won three of their last four games, while the Elasto Painters (4-3) suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this conference.
 
Talk 'N Text couldn’t miss right after the opening tip, scattering points from midrange and off offensive rebounds against the hapless Elasto Painters. TNT took a 22-9 lead courtesy of an Eliud Poligrates baseline jumper, but Paul Lee arrested the skid, as he and Jeff Chan nailed treys in the last three minutes to trim the deficit to single digits, 26-18, after the first quarter.
 
Chan struck again from deep to open the second period, but the Elasto Painters simply couldn’t keep up. Jayson Castro replied with a three of his own to spark TNT to another huge blitz. With the Texters filling the lanes on the break, mixed in with good ball movement, TNT established an 18-2 run to lead 44-23 midway through the frame.
 
Rain or Shine though buckled down on defense and cobbled together a 12-5 run, triggered by rookie Alex Nuyles’ penetration play. The Elasto Painters trailed at halftime, 49-35, complaining though that Chris Tiu was fouled after his attempt at the buzzer missed its mark.
 

After the break, Lee and Beau Belga combined for three triples, overwhelming crafty play from Ranidel De Ocampo, to trim the defending champs' lead to single digits, 56-48. TNT though responded with a Castro and-one and a De Ocampo trey on consecutive possessions to push their lead back up, 68-55.
 
Jervy Cruz made a strong push with two minutes to play, banging home a pair of and-one layups, and sandwiching a free throw from Ryan Arana, off a flagrant foul from Seigle. Arana then converted twice more on the drive, including one off a TNT turnover, as the quarter clock wound down to cap an 11-4 swing, 72-66.
 
Rain or Shine put up a wall against TNT in the paint in the fourth quarter, and they came knocking once more after Gabe Norwood and Chan buried three straight triples in the fourth quarter, 79-77. Danny Seigle managed to score three straight to offset a Norwood reverse, but Rain or Shine got their first lead of the game, 83-82, as Cruz knocked down a jumper from the right elbow at 3:25.
 
Talk ’N Text edged back ahead, 86-83, after a De Ocampo jumper and a 2-of-4 stint from the line, but Rain or Shine ate up the margin quickly after a Belga split and a Lee floater, 86-all. However, De Ocampo sank another one to put the Texters in the lead with less than a minute to go, while Belga and Lee bricked three-point baskets on the other end. De Ocampo rebounded Lee’s miss with 12.2 to go, was sent to the line, and split anew, 89-86.
 
Coming off a timeout, Chan drove into the lane and was fouled, but could only get one to fall, 89-87, with 8.4 ticks on the clock. Seigle was sent to the line following a TNT timeout, and he also split, and giving the ball back to Rain or Shine with 7.2 seconds. In the end, Williams stripped Chan at the top of the key, denying Rain or Shine a chance to tie the game.

Jayson Castro added 12 points, three rebounds and three assists, though he was just 3-of-12 from the field. Sean Anthony added 10 markers, while Danny Seigle came off the bench for nine points, nine boards, two assists and two rejections.

Jervy Cruz led the Rain or Shine cause with 14 points and nine boards. Gabe Norwood added 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a block, while Jeff Chan and Paul Lee added 12 points apiece, with each canning three treys.

Talk ’N Text dominated the glass, 64-47, 25-14 on offensive caroms, yet they were -3 on second-chance points, 10-13. - AMD, GMA News
 

The scores:

Talk 'N Text 90 - DeOcampo 20, Castro 12, Anthony 10, Seigle 9, Williams 9, Fonacier 8, Carey 8, Alapag 7, Reyes 3, Celiz 2, Poligrates 2, Baclao 0

Rain or Shine 87 - Cruz 14, Norwood 13, Chan 12, Lee 12, Belga 9, Arana 7, Nuyles 5, Quinahan 4, Tang 4, Rodriguez 4, Almazan 2, Tiu 1, Teng 0, Ibanes 0

Quarter scoring: 26-18, 49-35, 72-66, 90-87