Had the Tropang Texters lost, they would have been eliminated from contention for a spot in the Conference Finals, a fact that was not lost on Talk 'N Text's head coach.
"All we did tonight was to buy us a little bit more time. Our situation hasn't changed; we are fighting for our lives," said TNT mentor Chot Reyes after the victory. "We're just finding ways to win without our key guys."
Rookie sensation Paul Lee was unable to lift his squad to a win, despite 13 points from him. KC Cruz
The Elasto Painters started with a 7-2 run before Talk n' Text head coach Chot Reyes called timeout, a break that sparked the Texters to a 23-5 run to go up 25-12. Rain or Shine managed to recover at the end of the first though, finishing strong with seven straight points to cut the deficit to nine at the end of the quarter, 30-21.
In the second period, Talk n' Text started hitting their jumpers, going up by 16 after a Paul Harris conversion, 41-25. But once again, the Elasto Painters made a run before the quarter ended to close the gap to a more manageable 57-44.
A triple by by Aaron Aban had TNT up by as much as 18 points as they began the third quarter by scoring five unanswered 62-44, but that's when the Elasto Painters woke up from their slumber.
A Paul Lee lay-up early in the cut the Texters' lead to 10, 64-54, and ignited a 17-3 blast by Rain or Shine. Beau Belga's second triple in the quarter sliced the lead to a solitary point, 65-64, with five and a half minutes remaining, before Jimmy Alapag, Paul Harris, and Ranidel de Ocampo hit timely treys to keep the Elasto Painters at bay at the end of the third, 80-79.
Rain or Shine started the final period with a JR Quiñahan split from the line that knotted things at 80-all, before the Texters took the ball inside responding to the tune of a 10-2 run that made it 90-83, with 5:32 remaining.
In the last two minutes, Talk n' Text found itself enjoying a slim four-point advantage, 94-90, before Alapag hit a tough lay-up with 41.6 to go for a 96-90 lead. On the ensuing play, Rain or Shine found import Jamelle Cornley off the inbounds, only for the import to dribble the ball off his foot for a crucial turnover with 40.1 seconds remaining.
Ryan Reyes (left) and Ronjay Buenafe hit the floor for the loose ball. Nuki Sabio
With 30.2 seconds left, Alapag matched Cornley with his own turnover, only for Gabe Norwood to miss a three-pointer at the other end with 21.6 remaining. After a basket by Ali Peek settled the score at 98-90, Rain or Shine figured in to another mishap, as Jeff Chan stepped on Harris' foot after a three-point attempt.
Paul Harris led all scorers with 34 points, complementing his 16 rebounds and five dimes. Ranidel De Ocampo added 17 markers, while Jimmy Alapag fired in 10 and dished out six more assists.
"Harris doesn't wanna go home. [He] doesn't want it to end. I can be really hard on him [but] he just continues playing; that's why he's here," added Reyes, of his prized import.
Rain or Shine got 27 points from Cornley, plus 10 rebounds. Four other Elasto Painters also finished with double-digit scoring nights, led by Jeff Chan and his 15 points, but it wasn't enough for the Elasto Painters to secure the "W."
The loss put Rain or Shine in a tie with the B-MEG Llamados, whom they'll round out the semis against on Wednesday, with both teams possessing 9-4 slates. Talk 'N Text on the other hand, moved up to 8-5, in a tie with their Wednesday opponents too, the Barangay Ginebra Kings.
