Jimmy Alapag converted the charity on Taulava's infraction, and the Tropang Texters started their campaign in the 2008-09 KFC PBA Philippine Cup with a 98-97 squeaker over the Tigers at the Araneta Coliseum Saturday.
"I felt we really played well pero napagod dahil we had to play small minus Ali Peek," said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.
"But we got a big break. It's just the first game of the season but, at least, we got the monkey off our back especially playing against Asi (Taulava)," Reyes added.
The Tigers had a chance to salvage the game but Taulava himself failed to beat the final buzzer on his make-or-break putback following a missed layup by Alex Cabagnot.
Earlier with the count tied at 97-all, the Tigers forced the Tropang Texters to commit a crucial error but yielded a charity as Taulava was forced to sue for an excessive timeout while down on the floor and hounded by at least three defenders.
After Alapag broke the deadlock, the Tigers went to Cabagnot, who missed a tough shot against Harvey Carey. Taulava pulled down the offensive rebound and buried a putback, but the instant replay clearly showed the ball was still in Taulava’s hand when the game clock expired .
The Tropang Texters whooped it up as the referees nullified Taulava's shot, capping a dramatic win for the Talk n Text team coming into the season with four new faces in its lineup.
New recruits Jared Dillinger, Rob Reyes and Jason Castro chipped in their share but old mainstays Renren Ritualo and Mark Cardona paced the team with 24 and 21 points, respectively.
"You see what our rookies can do. They will really be a part of the team," said Reyes, impressed with what his rookies have been doing in practice.
Dillinger was the most impressive in their debut, recording 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. However, the tall Fil-Am guard failed to finish the game, downed by cramps in the fourth quarter.
"We had to play small with Peek nursing a calf muscle injury and us losing Dillinger essentially in the second half because of cramps. Talagang mapapagod kami dahil si Asi isang talon lang against dalawa ni Harvey Carey," said Reyes.
But the Tropang Texters worked with fluidity, leading by as many as 18 points before tapering off in the fourth quarter.
Nic Belasco and Ronjay Buenafe strung up three straight treys, highlighting a fourth quarter charge that had the Tigers surging ahead at 95-94.
Talk n Text regained the upperhand on a triple by Yancy de Ocampo before Coca-Cola tied the count for the last time at 97-all on two free throws by Cabagnot with 32.2 ticks left.
Ritualo came out with his guns ablaze in the second quarter, going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc and 3-of-3 from the two-point zone as TNT cut loose from a tight game, erecting a 60-47 lead at the half.
The entire Talk n Text team made six of 12 three-point attempts and converted 62.5 percent of its total field goals in building the momentum in its breakaway from a 23-24 count at the end of the first period.
Ritualo hit at an 87-percent clip in making 18 points just in the second quarter to finish with 20 in the opening half marked by five deadlocks and two lead changes. (NC)
The scores:
Talk n Text 98 – Ritualo 24, Cardona 21, Dillinger 15, De Ocampo 11, Reyes 7, Carey 6, Allado 6, Castro 5, Alapag 3, Aljamal 0, Chia 0, Lao 0.
Coca-Cola 97 – Buenafe 20, Belasco 18, Cabagnot 17, Taulava 13, Telan 13, Rizada 4, Macapagal 4, Arigo 4, Baguion 2, Calimag 0.
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