'Mighty Mouse' Alapag powers Texters' Game 2 triumph

Jimmy Alapag poured in the heat in the second half, sparking a big Talk 'N Text turnaround for a 100-94 win over Alaska that evened their PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum. Alapag finished with a team-high 25 points shooting 5-of-10 from downtown after being held to just six in the Tropang Texters’ 104-88 Game 1 loss. He scored 12 in the third as the Texters went on a 22-10 assault to take a 66-62 lead after trailing by as many as 12 in the first half. The 2003 Rookie of the Year also added 10 rebounds and overall, shot 8-of-12 from the floor. "In Game 1, LA (Tenorio) manhandled our guards. So I challenged Jimmy and Jason (Castro) that it should not happen again," said TNT coach Chot Reyes. The Tropang Texters limited Tenorio, Alaska's heart and soul, to only nine points this time, all of which scored in the second half. Castro also responded well, finishing with 17 points including a crucial shotclock-beating lay-up with 1:55 left to play to give the Tropang Texters a 97-86 lead. Ranidel De Ocampo added 13 while Ryan Reyes and import Shawn Daniels had 11 each in a balance scoring effort for the conference’s top seeded team that more than made up for top scorer MacMac Cardona’s absence. The former La Salle shooting guard skipped Friday’s game to wed long-time girlfriend Clarissa Francisco. "We knew Mac wouldn't play," said Reyes. "That was something we have to be ready for. We couldn’t use that as an excuse and it was important that Jason stepped in." The Tropang Texters' bench also redeemed itself from a disappointing series opener performance when they outplayed the Aces this time, 28-19. Alaska's bench outscored Talk 'N Text in Game 1, 36-19. But the Aces still had their moments, even leading 29-17 late in the first quarter and had an eight-point lead by halftime. Even after the Tropang Texters finally found their rhythm in the second half behind Alapag's hot shooting hands, the Aces remained very much in the game and took a 72-70 edge for the last time early in the fourth. Harvey Carey then scored underneath then Alapag drained another three-pointer in a 15-3 exchange as Talk 'N Text zoomed to an 84-74 advantage with 6:25 to go. Diamon Simpson led Alaska with 25 points and 14 rebounds while Sonny Thoss had 12 points but only had two rebounds. Reynel Hugnatan, hero of Alaska’s Game 1 win, was limited to just six points, 10 less than his total output in the series opener. – JVP, GMANews.TV