The Talk N’ Text Tropang Texters defeated sister team Meralco Bolts to clinch its second win in the Smart Bro PBA Philippine Cup 105-91 at the Philsports Arena. It was Talk N’ Text’s second win this conference while Meralco continued its bad start with a third straight loss.
Meralco led the first quarter 13-14. However, Talk N’ Text made an 8-0 run afterwards and maintained their run to end the first quarter 33-16.
Talk N’ Text kept up the pressure in the second quarter while Meralco struggled to find a run of their own. The Tropang Texters extended their dominance and ended the first half with a resounding 60-38 advantage.
It was very much the same story in the second half as Talk N’ Text did not give Meralco a chance to impose themselves for a potential comeback. Meralco cut the lead to as much as 14 points but Talk N’ Text recovered when Harvey Carey restored their 20 point lead at 54-74. The lead was then cut to 13 by Meralco but Talk N’ Text prevailed in the end of the third when a buzzer beater from downtown was made by Matt Ganuelas-Rosser to take an 88-66 edge before the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter was a matter of ball management by the Tropang Texters. Gary David provided a spark for Meralco with four straight points at 81-96. Nevertheless, a 5-0 run gave Talk N’ Text another 20 point lead and they eventually won 105-91.
Ganuelas-Rosser led Talk N’ Text with 19 followed by Moala Tautuaa’s 18 markers. Former UAAP Finals MVP Rabeh Al-Hussaini led Meralco at 16 while David and rookie Chris Newsome made 13.
The Scores:
Talk N’ Text (105) – Ganuelas-Rosser 19, Tautuaa 18, Castro 15, Rosario 14, Fonacier 9, Reyes 9, Carey 8, Miranda 4, Seigle 4, Aban 3, Rodriguez 2, Reyes 0.
Meralco Bolts (91) – Al-Hussaini 16, David 13, Hodge 13, Newsome 13, Dillinger 11, Amer 8, Nabong 6, Alapag 4, Sedurifa 4, Faundo 2, Guevarra 1, Hugnatan 0.
Quarterscores:33-17, 60-38, 88-64, 105-91
