TALK ’N TEXT breezed through the semifinals with a 127-97 manhandling of Barako Bull in their quarterfinal game on Saturday in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner’s Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena.
The Tropang Texters scorched the Energy with a 75-point explosion in the first half behind the hot shooting of import Ivan Johnson and Jayson Castro en route to the lopsided win to clinch their fourth straight semifinal appearance.
Johnson made 30 of his 35 points and Castro poured all of his 18 markers in the first half to help Talk ’N Text build a 75-44 cushion. They never looked back to claim the first seat in the best-of-five semifinal series.
The Tropang Texters will face the winner of the Purefoods-Alaska quarterfinal matchup. The Hotshots are currently up, 1-0, in their best-of-three series.
Johnson also grabbed 15 rebounds, while Castro dished out seven assists in the one-sided contest.
Solomon Alabi and JC Intal paced the Energy with 23 and 22 points, respectively, but they failed to neutralize Talk ’N Text’s onslaught especially in the first half where the Tropang Texters buried 11 three-pointers to erect a 75-44 halftime advantage.
They finished with 17 rainbow shots, making their first six attempts behind the arc, compared to a measly four by Barako Bull.
“Suwerte lang ang shooting,” said Talk ’N Text Head Coach Jong Uichico whose team shot 51-of-95 from the field for an efficient 53.7-percent clip in the game.
Johnson and Castro were simply too much for the Energy in the first quarter as they combined for 30 points and even outscored the whole Barako Bull team in that stage as Talk ’N Text grabbed a 43-23 lead.
And Johnson was not done yet. He matched his total output in the first quarter and at the same time held the seven-foot Alabi to just 11 points in the first half to allow his team carry a 31-point cushion going into to the break.
“He [Johnson] takes what the defense gives. He’s a veteran already and he adjusted to game,” Uichico said of his import Johnson, a veteran of the National Basketball Association.
Johnson’s basket made it 78-46, but a 12-2 run sparked by Intal cut the Texters’ lead to 22 points, 58-80.
Ranidel de Ocampo hit a three-pointer in the next play to spark a 20-11 exchange to put the game to beyond reach, 100-69, under two minutes remaining.
Uichico was able to rest his starters the whole fourth quarter but his second unit still delivered, keeping the double-digit lead till the final buzzer sounded.
De Ocampo added 16 points and eight rebounds, while rookie Matt Ganuela-Rosses chipped in 12 for the Tropang Texters, who needed just one win to reach the semifinals because of their twice-to-beat advantage for finishing in the top 2 in the eliminations.
Image credits: Kevin dela Cruz