Texters blow big lead, nip Express

MANILA, Philippines - Keith Benson came through with clutch plays at the finish and Talk n Text survived Niño Canaleta’s 20-point fourth-quarter explosion, eking out an 86-83 victory over Air21 in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

The Tropang Texters squandered a huge 22-point lead in the third quarter but Benson struck with two big baskets underneath the paint, saving Talk n Text from what could have been a humiliating setback.

Benson finished with 30 points and 18 rebounds as the Texters bounced back from a 92-99 upset by the Meralco Bolts Saturday.

“It got scary in the end as KG (Canaleta) started hitting three-point shots which really hurt us. Luckily, we had a big lead and we made stops in the end,” said Talk n Text coach Norman Black.

“They became aggressive on defense and we couldn’t get our set plays. Luckily also, we made crucial plays in the end,” Black also said.

Canaleta, scoring only three points in the first three quarters, sizzled with six triples and a total of 20 points in the payoff period, single-handedly rallying the Express from 22 points down to within, one at 77-78.

The Texters still held on a precarious one-point lead, 80-79, before Benson converted off a lob pass by Ranidel de Ocampo and later got away with a three-point play from an offensive rebound to give TnT an 85-81 cushion with time down to 38.1 seconds.

The Express still got an opportunity to tie in the closing seconds but Mike Cortez and Bonbon Custodio missed an attempt each from beyond the arc.

Meanwhile, the league kicks off its Phoenix Fuel-sponsored road series in the mid-season tourney featuring Rain or Shine versus Meralco at the Puerto Princesa Coliseum in Puerto Princesa, Palawan tonight.

Benson played much better from his previous game and proved to be TnT’s saviour in this game.

Nonetheless, Black said their import is still under evaluation.

Air21’s Michael Dunigan struggled facing Talk n Text’s double-teaming defense, logging only 19 markers and seven rebounds.

And it took Canaleta’s explosion for the Express get into the fight in the payoff period.

Justin Williams churned out a near triple-double performance with 23 points, 23 rebounds and eight blocks as Globalport came back from a bitter loss the last time, pulling off a wire-to-wire 89-80 win over Barangay Ginebra in the second game.

“Unlike the last time when we played only 47 minutes and 30 seconds, we played smart the whole game this time,” said Globalport coach Junel Baculi.