Texters rip Painters for 4th straight PBA win

Talk N Text shattered Rain or Shine’s invincibility with a 99-78 whipping for its fourth straight win in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum. The Texters went on full throttle beginning in the third period after engaging the previously unbeaten Elasto Painters in a nip-and-tuck affair in the opening half. Trailing at 47-49, the reigning Philippine Cup champions unraveled a blistering 24-10 run capped by a three-pointer from Ranidel de Ocampo to take control of the match, 71-59. Talk `N Text forced 11 Rain or Shine turnovers in that stretch. “It all starts with defense. Once we began clogging the lanes and denying their outside shooters, we got rolling," said Peek, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds to lead all Talk `N Text locals. The Texters moved up to second place in the standings in a tie with Alaska at 4-1. They currently share the tournament’s longest winning streak at four together with guest team Pilipinas-Smart Gilas. The Texters were inflicted their lone loss by the Nationals, 103-98, before they came up with their own winning streak. It was the first loss in four outings for Rain or Shine, leaving Smart Gilas as the only unbeaten ball club in the import-laden meet. Paul Harris led Talk `N Text with 32 points and got the better end of his match-up with counterpart Hassan Adams. The Rain or Shine import still top-scored with 26 points, but stayed on the bench at the height of the Texters' big offensive run in the third quarter. Five straight points by Peek gave Talk `N Text its first 20-point lead at 85-65 midway in the fourth. With Jeff Chan providing firepower from the perimeter, the Elasto Painters cut the deficit to 91-74 before the Texters scored six unanswered points to post their biggest lead of the game at 23 (97-74) on a jump shot by Peek. - KY, RCJ, GMA News