PBA: Talk 'N Text easily dispatches Ginebra, waltzes into semis

(Updated 10:38pm) After finishing the 2014 PBA Philippine Cup at the top of the elimination round, the Barangay Ginebra Kings are the third team to exit in the Commissioner’s Cup after dropping a lopsided 97-84 game to the undefeated Talk ‘N Text Tropang Texters, the final 13-point difference far from being a gauge of just how dominant the Tropang Texters were.

The Kings thought the energy that replacement import Gabe Freeman brought was enough to slap them out of their slump. It was enough for the first half against Rain or Shine in their last elimination round game, but not nearly enough against the Tropang Texters, who have been playing flawless basketball as of late.

After letting the Kings hang around in the first half, Talk 'N Text unleashed a crippling scoring run in the third quarter to leave the Kings behind for good.

Import Richard Howell showed that he has recovered from the injury that hampered him in the tailend of the eliminations, as he dropped 41 points on an efficient 18-of-27 shooting clip along with 22 rebounds from the field.

Freeman on the other hand only finished with 15 points although he did grab 22 rebounds.

“All credit goes to the players for really coming out and playing hard today,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Norman Black. “They have the will to win and the desire to win.”

Gabe Freeman could not replicate the torrid shooting he displayed in their game against Rain or Shine as he only notched six points in the first 12 minutes compared to 17 in his first game back.

The Tropang Texters looked like they were on their way to carrying a double-digit lead into the second quarter, but the Kings put together two unanswered baskets late in the first for a 27-21 count in Talk 'N Text's favor.

Josh Urbiztondo opened the second quarter by nailing a triple, which cut TNT's lead in half.

The Kings got to within three with 3:06 left in the second quarter after two made free throws from Freeman 36-33. However, Talk ‘N Text put together 6-1 run to close out the first half for a 42-34 count in their favor.
 

It was a minor miracle that Ginebra was in the game during that point, considering Freeman went 1-of-11 from the field in the first 24 minutes while his counterpart dropped 23 points and 13 rebounds in the same span. Gienbra’s big man Greg Slaughter was also not a factor in the first half as he was in foul trouble with three personals. He only played six minutes, logging in a rebound and an assist.

Howell continued to play well in the third quarter as he scored four straight points in the first minute to force Ginebra to a timeout. The momentary ceasefire did nothing for the Kings as Howell and Castro scored four more points to extend TNT’s lead to 50-34 and force another timeout.

Mark Caguioa finally scored a basket but Howell and Harvey Carey put together two more baskets for a 54-36 lead, the highest at that point. They built a 20-point lead at the 7:29 mark of the third to force Ginebra to call their third timeout in four and a half minutes.

Ginebra struggled to put points specially in the third quarter. Big men Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar scored only a combined 13 points in the game. Mac Baracael also struggled, scoring only four points in the entire game.

It didn’t get much better for Ginebra as they fell further behind in the quarter. Frustrations also mounted as LA Tenorio was called for a technical foul. Howell and Freeman also got technical fouls slapped on them for trash-talking.

The Tropang Texters ended the third quarter with a triple from Nino Canaleta for a 79-53 lead. The rest of the fourth quarter was basically garbage time for both squads.

“We got a little sloppy in the end,” Black said explaining why their lead was brought down to 13 in the end. “But it’s nice to be back in the semifinals,” he closed as his team now awaits the winner in the series between Meralco and Rain or Shine. - AMD, GMA News



The scores:

Talk 'N Text 97 - Howell 41, De Ocampo 15, Castro 13, Fonacier 12, Alapag 5, Williams 4, Carey 4, Canaleta 3, Salamat 0, Seigle 0, Aban 0, Reyes Jai 0, Reyes Ryan 0, Baclao 0

Ginebra 84 - Caguioa 19, Freeman 15, Tenorio 12, Urbiztondo 9, Ababou 7, Aguilar 7, Slaughter 6, Baracael 4, Helterbrand 2, Mamaril 2, Reyes 1, Ellis 0

Quarter scoring: 27-21, 42-34, 79-53, 97-84