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No mercy: Top seed TNT trounces lowly Barako


Already assured of the top seeding and outright Final Four berth, Talk 'N Text vented its ire on Barako as the Tropang Texters coasted to an easy 112-101 triumph over the helpless Energy Coffee Masters on Wednesday in the PBA Fiesta Cup.

Four days after seeing its season-best 13-game winning run end after an 88-87 loss to Derby Ace, Talk 'N Text buckled down to work early in the contest to secure it would end its elimination round campaign on a high at the Araneta Coliseum. Mac-Mac Cardona and Shawn Daniels showed the way for Texters scoring 28 and 17 points apiece before sitting out the fourth period when the outcome of the game was already beyond doubt. The Texters capped their 18-game elims campaign with a 15-3 (win-loss) record, the best mark for a semifinals-bound team in the last six years since San Miguel Beer ended up with a 16-2 slate in the 2004 Fiesta Cup. "Overall, we really wanted to finish the eliminations with a win," said Talk 'N Text coach Chot Reyes. "But that’s done and over with. All our focus now will be on the playoffs." In doing so, the team is set to fly to Hong Kong on July 3, then proceeds to China for a two-game practice against a Guangzhou-based team before returning back to the country in time for the semifinals.
Talk 'N Text's Jared Dillinger (right) cahllenges the defense of Barako import Sammy Monroe during their game in the PBA Fiesta Cup on Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum. Jeff Venancio
Prior to their overseas stint, the Tropang Texters are set to compete in the 2010 Smart-Philippine Invitational Challenge starting Thursday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. "Our goal is to make sure we get quality practices," Reyes admitted. "And the only way that we can get quality competitions is to play abroad. The objective is to balance the recovery, rest and sharpness of the team." The Tropang Texters played minus Kelly Williams for the second straight game, while Ryan Reyes wasn’t fielded in as both players had a bout with flu. But in their absence, there are those who stepped up, like Aaron Aban, who had a career-high 16 points coming off the bench, Ranidel De Ocampo with 14 and Harvey Carey 10. The Tropang Texters led by as much as 29 points, 92-63, in the third quarter before coasting in the endgame. Import Sammy Monroe had his lowest output in the season-ending meet with 14 points as Barako Coffee (3-14) fell by a game against Air21 (4-13) for the last berth in the wild card phase. The Energy Coffee Makers now have to win their final elimination round game against the Derby Ace Llamados to keep their playoff hopes alive. - JVP, GMANews.TV
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