Importless Texters mangle Famous, Elite

MANILA, Philippines — TNT KaTropa found no need for an import  as it went local with a solid, balanced game it enhanced with 16 three-pointers to crush Blackwater and import Jarrid Famous, 120-101, in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum last night.

Ryan Reyes, Troy Rosario, RR Pogoy, Jayson Castro, Tony Semerad, Terrence Romeo and Jericho Cruz all delivered double-digit outputs in a lethal offense complemented by an efficient defense that held the Blackwater import to 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Before this game, Famous averaged 26.3 markers and 18.3 boards an outing.

The Texters, thus, head to the PBA All-Star break with a 4-1 win-loss record. Blackwater is at 0-6, after going 0-3 with sacked coach Leo Isaac and with the same mark with new coach Bong Ramos.

TNT will enjoy a two-week break before plunging back into action on June 1 versus Columbian Dyip with old import Josh Smith back in the fold.

Vernon Macklin drained a pair of crucial foul shots in the last 3.1 seconds of play then the Magnolia Hotshots relished watching Chris Newsome muff a potential game-tying alley-oop shot as they took the lights out of the Meralco Bolts, 81-79, in a tight, low-scoring match in the nightcap.

Macklin’s two charities capped a 21-point, 15-rebound showing in his farewell game with the Hotshots.

The Hotshots sport a 3-1 card as Macklin leaves to attend a commitment in China’s National Basketball League. The Bolts, meanwhile, dropped to 3-2.

The scores:

First Game

Talk N Text 120 – Reyes 18, Rosario 17, Pogoy 15, Castro 14, Semerad 14, Romeo 12, Cruz 11, Trollano 7, Taha 5, Carey 4, Nuyles 2, Garcia 1, Golla 0, Paredes 0, Saitanan 0.

Blackwater 101 – Erram 16, Zamar 15, Digregorio 14, Palma 12, Famous 11, Belo 11, Cortez 9, Maliksi 6, Sumang 5, Pinto 2, Sena 0, Jose 0.

Quarterscores: 25-20, 52-47, 87-72, 120-101

Second Game

Magnolia 81 – Macklin 21, Lee 21, Barroca 18, Reavis 6, Jalalon 6, Herndon 3, Ramos 3, Brondial 2, Dela Rosa 2, Pascual 0, Simon 0, Sangalang 0, Abundo 0.

Meralco 79 – Onuaku 23, Newsome 15, Amer 14, Dillinger 12, Canaleta 7, Caram 4, Baracael 2, Hugnatan 2, Hodge 0, Salva 0, Tolomia 0, Ballesteros 0, Lanete 0.

Quarterscores: 19-16, 34-31, 50-46, 81-79