B-MEG stayed steady when Talk ‘N Text made a run, and the Llamados notched their sixth straight victory, 114-104, to stay in the hunt for one of the top two spots in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup Tuesday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
The Llamados kept pushing the ball that tired out the undermanned Tropang Texters, before banking on the clutch shooting of James Yap and Kerby Raymundo as they improved their win-loss mark to 8-4 for the solo third spot.
The win also propelled Petron to the top spot. It was also Talk ‘N Text’s second straight defeat, which caused it to go down to the No. 2 spot with an 8-3 mark.
Yap had another sterling game with 27 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field while Raymundo added 20 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Llamados, who went undefeated in November like the Boosters.
“This is the time to take advantage of the opportunity in beating Talk ‘N Text because they are not in their full strength,” said B-MEG coach Tim Cone.
“Give the guys the credit. They didn’t panic. They stick in what we did. Despite the big run [Talk 'N Text] made, they played the same way. It was great discipline by the players.”
Josh Urbiztondo and Peter June Simon netted 15 and 11 points respectively for the Llamados, who led by as much as 17 points before the Tropang Texters made a huge run in the third quarter behind Jimmy Alapag. Talk ‘N Text even took a 78-76 lead entering the fourth period.
B-MEG then unloaded a 23-6 run capped by Yap’s step-back jumper to take a 94-84 lead with 7:12 remaining in the game.
Kelly Williams tried to rally his team back as he engineered a 10-4 exchange to put Talk ‘N Text within four points, 94-98 but Yap, Raymundo and Urbiztondo joined forces for a decisive 10-1 assault to put the game away with a little over two minutes remaining.
Harvey Carey had a solid performance for Talk ‘N Text with 25 points and 15 rebounds while Alapag returned from a long hiatus to contribute 15 points and 11 assists, although he was did not play in the last 4:40 of the game due to cramps.
“We still have a shot [for a top two spot],” said Cone, whose last two assignments are against lowly Shopinas and Barako Bull. “Petron and Talk ‘N Text still play each other and have tougher opponents.”
The scores:
B-MEG 114 – Yap J. 27, Raymundo 20, Urbiztondo 15, Simon 11, De Vance 9, Yap R. 9, Pingris 8, Reavis 8, Barroca 7.
TALK N’ TEXT 104 – Carey 25, Castro 18, Alapag 15, Aguilar 11, Williams 11, Weinstein 9, Fonacier 8, De Ocampo 7, Gamalinda 0, Oreta 0, Alvarez 0.
Quarters: 29-21, 53-42, 76-78, 114-104
source: http://www.interaksyon.com/
James Yap is a great player. He do everything what he can do to make hi team to win. He's one of the best player of this season and I think he will become the MVP.
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