Powerade bum-rushes undermanned Talk ‘N Text by 35 points

AKTV/Leslie Sy

Powerade tightened its hold of the last quarterfinal seat after drubbing an undermanned Talk ‘N Text side, 131-96, Sunday in the 2011-12 PBA Philippine Cup at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.

Gary David led the Tigers’ explosive offensive performance with 27 points, as eight players scored at least six or more points for Powerade, which notched its first set of back-to-back wins in the tournament and improved its win-loss mark to 5-7.

Marcio Lassiter added 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Sean Anthony had 17 points, JV Casio scored 14 points and dished out 7 assists, while Doug Kramer and Rommel Adducul chipped in 13 and 10 points respectively for Powerade, which ended a 13-game losing streak to the Tropang Texters.

The win also snapped Talk ‘N Text’s six-game winning streak though the defending champions remain at the top spot with 8-2 mark.

“It helped a lot Talk ‘N Text did not have a complete lineup,” said Tigers head coach Bo Perasol as his wards registered a conference-high 38 assists.

“I was encouraging them to make sure we should not be afraid to win or fear to succeed. It doesn’t really matter if we’re up against Talk ‘N Text, Petron or Rain or Shine. We just have to do what it takes to win.”

Already without Jimmy Alapag, Ryan Reyes, Aaron Aban and Ali Peek due to injuries, the Tropang Texters lost another player in Jared Dillinger, who sat out of the game because of an ailing left heel.

And the lack of manpower showed early for the Texters as they trailed 27-18 after the first quarter. Powerade outscored Talk ‘N Text, 34-17, in the second period to carry a 61-35 lead at halftime.

The Tigers widened the gap to 71-40 before Talk ‘N Text unleashed its only run in the game, a 23-7 salvo to cut the lead to 77-63 midway through the third period.

But Powerade was not done yet as it answered with its own 18-7 run, capped by Lassiter’s running banked shot to restore a 95-70 spread going into the fourth quarter.

The Tigers were never seriously threatened since as their lead reached as much as 34 points, 116-82.

“We’re still not yet out of the woods. It’s still a long elimination round,” said Perasol.

Kelly Williams paced the Tropang Texters with 18 points, while Harvey Carey and Jason Castro each had 15 markers for coach Chot Reyes.

Peek showed up at the venue for the first time since he was shot at the left side of his nape, but did not suit up. His status is still being assessed by the coaching staff.

The 35-point loss by Talk ‘N Text was the franchise’s second worst defeat. The team, then coached by Eric Altamirano, was beated 110-73 by Purefoods in the 1998 Commissioner’s Cup.

The scores:

POWERADE 131 – David 27, Lassiter 19, Anthony 17, Casio 14, Kramer 13, Adducul 10, Cruz 9, Crisano 7, Vanlandingham 6, Antonio 4, Martinez 3, Lingganay 2, Allera 0.

TALK N’ TEXT 96 – Williams 18, Castro 15, Carey 15, Oreta 14, Fonacier 12, Aguilar 9, Weinstein 7, Gamalinda 6, Raymundo 0, Membrere 0, Alvarez 0, De Ocampo 0, Lao 0

Quarterscores: 27-18, 61-35, 95-70, 131-96

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