June 28, 2017

Talk N' Text survives wild and woolly Game 4, ties series at 2-2

TNT KaTropa, rallying behind import Josh Smith whose wife was on the process of giving birth, outfought San Miguel Beer, 102-97, Wednesday night to square off anew their PBA Commissioner’s Cup title showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Jayson Castro, Ranidel de Ocampo, Troy Rosario and RR Pogoy all bounced back from a poor showing the last time as the Texters stopped the Beermen’s two-game run and forced a 2-2 deadlock in their best-of-seven titular series.

The two teams break the deadlock in Game Five at 7 p.m. Friday also at the Big Dome.

The Texters yielded the individual awards to the Beermen before tip-off, but Castro and his teammates played tough all throughout to score the win they dedicated to the Smiths.

They played the game with a patch on their uniform bearing the name Kristy – Josh’s girlfriend who’s giving birth to their first baby back home in the US.

Sponsored content:
Smith himself worked hard, coming through with 20 points and 15 rebounds.

Castro redeemed himself from the 10 errors he committed in their Game Three loss, firing 17 points, including the biggest buckets in their key closing romp from 86-89 down.

Pogoy, Rosario and De Ocampo also delivered significant numbers with Pogoy and Rosario providing the firepower in the first half while De Ocampo helped Castro lead their closing flurry.

Rosario and Pogoy, both scoreless in Game Two, piled up 20 points together just in the first half in this game.

Smith and RR Garcia also provided push as the Texters enjoyed a nine-point lead at 41-32 before settling for a 49-47 halftime margin.

Sponsored content:
From their nine-point deficit, the Beermen unleashed a 10-to-nothing run capped by a breakaway slam by Arwind Santos when everybody else stopped playing on an inadvertent whistle by referee Jimmy Mariano.

The TNT bench raised a howl of protest but the refs let Santos get away with the basket that pushed SMB ahead at 42-41.

The Beermen sustained their charge through the next period and led by three at 76-73 going into the final canto.