MANILA, Philippines - Talk n Text leaned on a strong finish last night to ward off Rain or Shine, 86-81, and again catch up with Barangay Ginebra at second place entering the homestretch of the PBA Philippine Cup elimination phase.
The Texters got away with an 11-0 closing run to hack out a stirring come-from-behind victory in the very first PBA game held at the Davao del Sur Sports Center in Digos City.
Ali Peek, Harvey Carey and Jason Castro carried the Texters to the strong windup leading to a third straight win and ninth in 12 games overall.
They play the Barangay Ginebra Kings at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a game which could well decide which team joins the San Miguel Beermen in the top two.
The Elasto Painters dominated the game most of the way but floundered at the finish, thus falling to joint sixth with the Alaska Milk Aces at 5-7.
They’re looking to make the top six to avoid a quarterfinals showdown with either the top seed or the second seed. The two top-ranked teams enjoy twice-to-beat advantage in the quarters.
Rain or Shine sagged and collapsed in the homestretch, going scoreless in the last 3:36 of play.
The Texters took advantage of the opportunity, surging ahead at 82-81 on a layup by Carey followed by five straight markers from Peek.
Peek himself made it a three-point lead for TnT as he nailed two charities on a foul by Larry Rodriguez with time down to 17.5 seconds.
The Elasto Painters eventually yielded the contest as the returning Sol Mercado muffed a three-point try in the ensuing play.
Mercado, fresh from a stint with Smart Gilas Pilipinas in the recent Guangzhou Asian Games, led the Elasto Painters with 17 points.
Peek stood out for Talk n Text with 25 points, including 10 in the fourth quarter.