Tropang Texters seize 2-0 lead vs Ginebra

Jared Dillinger scored on a perfectly executed alley-oop play in the closing seconds, capping a big Talk `N Text comeback from 18 points down in a pulsating 106-105 win over Barangay Ginebra Sunday in Game 2 of their KFC-PBA Philippine Cup quarterfinals series at the Araneta Coliseum. Trailing, 104-105, in the final 3.3 seconds, the Tropang Texters came off a timeout looking for an eye-in-the-sky play, which Ranidel de Ocampo made happen with a right-on-target pass to an airborne Dillinger. “I wanted to dunk the ball," said Dillinger later. “I wanted it to be safe." The win gave the defending champions a 2-0 lead over the league’s crowd darling, and could complete a three-game sweep of the best-of-five series with another victory on Wednesday also at the Big Dome.

“That’s the way basketball is. Coach Siot (Tanquingcen) did it to (coach) Tim (Cone), Tim did it to me. We copied the same kind of movement when we needed it. You learn from the others," said Tropang Texters coach Chot Reyes, referring to the same winning plays pulled off by San Miguel over Alaska last Dec. 9 and by the Aces later against the Tropang Texters themselves. The Kings had 2.4 seconds left to go for a game-winning play, but without a timeout left, failed to make a decent shot as Celino Cruz’s desperation attempt at halfcourt didn’t even make its mark at the buzzer. “Closing this (series) is the toughest," said Reyes. “It has been two very tough games, and it will be 10 times tougher the next." Jason Castro scored 19 points to lead six other Texters with double-figure outputs. Harvey Carey had 17, Ranidel de Ocampo 16 (plus 13 rebounds), Dillinger 14, Alapag 13, Mac-Mac Cardona 11 and Ali Peek 10. JC Intal led Ginebra with 23 points, hitting a pair of crucial three-point shots in the final 2:39. But he could only split his free throws in the final 3.3 seconds to make it 105-104, and opened the way for that big winning play by Talk `N Text. Ronald Tubid rebounded from a two-point effort in Game 1 with 20 points this time, while Willie Wilson added 15 points for Ginebra, which led by 65-47 in the third quarter and played without Jay-Jay Helterbrand (hamstring injury). Far from the abysmal effort it exerted in the first two quarters of Game 1, Ginebra led by as large as 57-40 on a split by Enrico Villanueva. Overall, though, it was the combined performances of Intal and Tubid that carried the Kings. Intal had 13 points and Tubid 11 in the first half, but the duo struck hardest in the second quarter, outscoring the entire Talk ‘N Text team, 20-19, as Ginebra seized 59-43 lead at the half. - GMANews.TV