Texters whip Express, clinch No.1 spot in PBA

Kelly Williams triggered Talk ‘N Text’s big third-quarter run to lift his team to a 103-89 triumph over the Air21 Express in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. Williams’ infectious performance not only gave the Tropang Texters their 11th win in 14 games, but also earned the No.1 slot for the squad in the quarterfinal round. Notching their fifth straight win, the Texters wound up their double-round elims campaign tied for the lead with the San Miguel Beermen, but got the No.1 spot by virtue of a superior quotient. Both teams will enjoy twice-to-beat incentives over their quarterfinal rivals. Held scoreless in the opening half, Williams suddenly came to life in the third, pouring 11 big points in a telling 23-8 Tropang Texters run. The former league MVP highlighted the offensive binge with an alley-oop dunk that wowed the huge Sunday crowd. By the time the 6-foot-5 Williams was through with the job, the Texters had already turned a six-point halftime lead to a 72-51 bubble at the closing stage of the third period. Williams finished with a team-high 15 markers. Talk `N Text coach Chot Reyes said his team had a playoff mindset in their game against the Express. “We approached this game as the start of the best-of-three series," he said. “One more win and we go into the semifinals." This marks the second time the franchise has clinched the No. 1 spot in the playoffs, but only the first in an all-Filipino tournament since 1999 during the rookie season of former star player Asi Taulava.

Then a heavily-favored squad, the team known as the Phone Pals were beaten twice by the Ginebra Gin Kings. Today’s version of Talk N Text will try to avoid history repeating itself against an eighth-seeded squad in the quarterfinal round. The Express dropped to 6-8 overall, their fate of advancing to the best-of-three quarterfinals hinging on the outcome of Alaska (6-7) and Rain or Shine’s (5-8) final assignments. The Aces meet the eliminated Powerade Tigers, while the Elasto Painters take on the Meralco Bolts in a crucial doubleheader on Wednesday. Reyes admitted having a hard time dealing with all three teams, but would rather not think about a possible playoff match-up at the moment. “Traditionally, we’ve had a lot of problems against those teams (Air21, Alaska, and Rain or Shine)," said Reyes. “Pero hindi na namin iniisip kung sino makakalaban namin. It’s something that’s not in our control." Ryan Reyes added 13 points for the Tropang Texters, who also got another double-double from Harvey Carey with 14 rebounds and 13 points. Ronjay Buenafe had 17 points to show the way for Air21. But after scoring 10 in the opening period, which the Express led, 25-23, the team’s top gunner was held down to just seven the rest of the way. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV