PBA: Alas shines with 18 as TNT defeats Rain or Shine by 23

The Talk n Text Tropang Texters got a stellar game from rookie Kevin Alas, who scored 18 points in 22 minutes in their 99-76 win over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters on Sunday at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

"We tried to fix what went wrong against Alaska," said TNT head coach Jong Uichico. "We didn't change the play; we just reviewed the tape."

Uichico also highlighted the added playing time given to rookies Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Kevin Alas:

"Binibigyan natin ng minuto mga rookie to gain confidence. Alam naman natin kapibilidad ng dalawa sa amateurs. Kevin had a breakout game today. I hope he plays consistently every game. Consistency ang kailangan natin. [It] gives Jason (Castro) a chance to rest.

Ranidel De Ocampo led the Texters with 20 points, going 8-of-12 from the field with four triples. Jay Washington scored 18 points, while Matt Ganuelas-Rosser and Harvey Carey chipped in 11 and 10, respectively.

The smaller Texters banked on 23 offensive rebounds for 19 second chance points. They more than doubled Rain or Shine's rebounding numbers, 63-31.

Jeff Chan came off the bench to top-score for the Elasto Painters with 16 points, while Jonathan Uyloan added 10. RoS' starters struggled, with only Gabe Norwood scoring in double figures. Paul Lee and Raymond Almazan had eight each. - Renee Fopalan, GMA News


The scores:

TALK N' TEXT 99 - De Ocampo 20, Washington 18, Alas 18, Ganuelas-Rosser 11, Carey 10, Castro 9, Fonacier 5, Espiritu 3, Aban 3, Wiliams 2, Labagala 0, Reyes Ryan 0, Reyes Rob 0, Seigle 0.

RAIN OR SHINE 76 - Chan 16, Uyloan 10, Norwood 10, Lee 8, Almazan 8, Quinahan 7, Teng 5, Cruz Jericho 5, Ibanes 2, Cruz Jervy 2, Belga 2, Tang 1, Arana 0.

Quarterscores: 29-21, 56-45, 83-60, 99-76