Jimmy Alapag poured in the heat in the second half, sparking a big Talk 'N Text turnaround for a 100-94 win over Alaska that evened their PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series on Friday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Alapag finished with a team-high 25 points shooting 5-of-10 from downtown after being held to just six in the Tropang Texters’ 104-88 Game 1 loss. He scored 12 in the third as the Texters went on a 22-10 assault to take a 66-62 lead after trailing by as many as 12 in the first half.

The 2003 Rookie of the Year also added 10 rebounds and overall, shot 8-of-12 from the floor.

"In Game 1, LA (Tenorio) manhandled our guards. So I challenged Jimmy and Jason (Castro) that it should not happen again," said TNT coach Chot Reyes.

The Tropang Texters limited Tenorio, Alaska's heart and soul, to only nine points this time, all of which scored in the second half.

Castro also responded well, finishing with 17 points including a crucial shotclock-beating lay-up with 1:55 left to play to give the Tropang Texters a 97-86 lead.

Ranidel De Ocampo added 13 while Ryan Reyes and import Shawn Daniels had 11 each in a balance scoring effort for the conference’s top seeded team that more than made up for top scorer MacMac Cardona’s absence.

The former La Salle shooting guard skipped Friday’s game to wed long-time girlfriend Clarissa Francisco.

"We knew Mac wouldn't play," said Reyes. "That was something we have to be ready for. We couldn’t use that as an excuse and it was important that Jason stepped in."

The Tropang Texters' bench also redeemed itself from a disappointing series opener performance when they outplayed the Aces this time, 28-19. Alaska's bench outscored Talk 'N Text in Game 1, 36-19.

But the Aces still had their moments, even leading 29-17 late in the first quarter and had an eight-point lead by halftime.

Even after the Tropang Texters finally found their rhythm in the second half behind Alapag's hot shooting hands, the Aces remained very much in the game and took a 72-70 edge for the last time early in the fourth.

Harvey Carey then scored underneath then Alapag drained another three-pointer in a 15-3 exchange as Talk 'N Text zoomed to an 84-74 advantage with 6:25 to go.

Diamon Simpson led Alaska with 25 points and 14 rebounds while Sonny Thoss had 12 points but only had two rebounds.

Reynel Hugnatan, hero of Alaska’s Game 1 win, was limited to just six points, 10 less than his total output in the series opener. - JVP, GMANews.TV

Up against the most explosive team in the league, Alaska got a big lift from an unlikely source.

Defense-minded Reynel Hugnatan presided over a telling third-quarter breakaway as the Alaska Aces stunned no. 1 seed Talk N Text at the start of their PBA semifinals series Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

Averaging just 4.4 points per game, Hugnatan came through with 16 points and five rebounds in 22 minutes of play, sparking a second-half
breakaway that turned an expected close match into a rout.

The lead reached as high as 100-76 on a Cyrus Baguio three-pointer with 2:32 left to play, paving the way for the Aces to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"We played almost picture-perfect in the second half and we must continue to do that to beat this team in this series," said Cone.

Ranidel de Ocampo led Talk N Text with 20 points, but the rest of the Tropang Texters big men got saddled by foul trouble early in the fourth period, further hobbling the Tropang Texters' frontline.

The Aces beat out the Tropang Texters off the boards, 53-47.

Ironically, the Tropang Texters lost five of their first six series opener in a best-of-seven series.

Import Diamon Simpson led the Aces with 19 points and 16 rebounds, while Joe Devance added 19 points and LA Tenorio and Cyrus Baguio had 13 points each.

Tony Dela Cruz only had nine points, but grabbed eight rebounds, while new acquisition Topex Robinson scored four points on perimeter jumpers.

"I don't think they had a real answer for Rey because they focused so much on Diamon they forgot about some of our other players," said Cone. "That's easy to do with the numbers Diamon puts up."

The Aces trailed, 44-46, before Baguio and Hugnatan took over and led the team to a 78-65 spread. - RCJ, GMANews.TV

Scores:

Alaska 104 - Simpson 19, Devance 19, Hugnatan 16, Tenorio 13, Baguio 13, dela Cruz 9, Fonacier 5, Robinson 4, Eman 2, Borboran 0, Cablay 0.

Talk 'N Text 88 - de Ocampo 20, Cardona 17, Daniels 13, Carey 13, Castro 6, Reyes 6, Alapag 6, Williams 3, Dillinger 2, Aban 2, Yee 0, Quinahan 0.

Quarters: 20-38, 44-38, 78-68, 104-88

Defending champion San Miguel hardly showed rust despite the long rest, demolishing Derby Ace, 101-88, Wednesday night for a 1-0 lead in their PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum.

Jay Washington banged in 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and outscored the entire Llamados in the third quarter when the Beermen ripped the game apart.

The 6-foot-7 forward scattered 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting during that stretch to star in the Beermen's 35-point effort, allowing them to break free from a tight 44-44 count at halftime to claim a commanding 79-57 lead.

The Beermen held the Llamados to just 13 points in the third.

Import Gabe Freeman added 23 points and 15 rebounds.

"The key was defense," said SMB coach Siot Tanquingcen. "But we must not be complacent after winning one game. You just can't relax on them. They're like Ginebra - never say die."

Dondon Hontiveros and Arwind Santos had 15 points apiece for the reigning champions, which clobbered Derby Ace off the boards, 48-34.

James Yap led Derby Ace with 24 points, but Tony Washam, who fired a season-high 49 points in the Llamados overtime win over Rain or Shine Sunday, was held to 23 on 6-of-18 shooting from the field.

He also missed six free throws of his 15 attempts.

"As expected we're not just a step late, we're at least three to four steps late today," said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio. "Sometimes, even if the mind is willing, the body is not. Emotions just took some of our energy after that gut-wrenching series' victory over Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals."

Scores:

San Miguel Beer 101 - Washington 88, Freeman 23, Santos 15, Hontiveros 15, Villanueva 8, Pena 4, Racela 3, Cabagnot 2, Seigle 2, Miranda 1, Yeo 0, Ildefonso 0, Pennisi 0.

B-Meg Derby Ace 88 - Yap J. 24, Washam 23, Simon 12, Artadi 7, Timberlake 6, Maierhofer 6, Pingris 4, Adducul 2, Reavis 2, Yap R. 2, Canaleta 0, Allado 0.

Quarter scores: 25-21, 44-44, 79-57, 101-88

Game 1 of the PBA Fiesta Cup semifinals between top seed Talk 'N Text and Alaska has yet to fire off, but already coaches of the two opposing teams have contrasting views as to which one has the advantage going into the best-of-seven series that begins Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Tropang Texters' Chot Reyes belittles the claim of Alaska counterpart Tim Cone that the Aces are banged up after surviving Barangay Ginebra Kings in a grueling best-of-five quarterfinals series that went the full route.

"There's no such thing as a banged up or well-rested team in the semis," said Reyes. "One is riding a momentum while the other is rusty. This will be a tough series between two evenly matched teams. Period."

But Cone doesn't buy either Reyes' argument that the Tropang Texters are out of form, well aware that despite not seeing action in the league for about a month now, the franchise has kept in step with the rest by going overseas for tune-up games against commercial ball clubs from China.

"No doubt," said Cone when asked whether the long rest will have an enormous effect in the long series. "Obviously, they (Texters) have a huge advantage. We're a little banged up, and we still got guys coming back from injuries."

The differences in opinion between two of the league's brilliant coaches definitely adds fuel to the already potentially explosive Game 1 of their series set at 7:30 p.m.

Two hours earlier, defending champion San Miguel and Derby Ace also kick off their own semis series in a rematch of their Philippine Cup Final Four contest.

The Tropang Texters emerged the No. 1 seed after losing only five of their 18 games in the eliminations, a stretch that saw them shake up their roster by acquiring Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes in a trade with Sta. Lucia.

Yet despite Talk 'N Text's seeming formidability, the Aces certainly like their chances as the ‘unquestionable underdogs,' as Cone would refer to his team.

The last time the two teams met, the Aces only lost by a point, 76-75. And Cone is not concealing his plan of dictating the pace of the game and keeping the scores low behind the Aces' half court set.

"I really thought we played them well the last time we met," said Cone. "Talk 'N Text is formidable, but we're not afraid of them."

Like Alaska, Derby Ace is also cast as the underdog in their semifinals showdown with San Miguel.

But giving the Llamados a ray of hope of toppling their powerhouse opponent is the presence of import Tony Washam, obviously the force that allowed the team to comeback from a 2-1 series deficit against Rain or Shine.

"Washam gave us a lift. With his arrival, James (Yap) is not the sole target on defense. We have become more potent offensively. SMB looks invincible, but we are convinced that we can compete for as long as we play as a team and figure out their weaknesses early in the series," said Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio.

In their three meetings with the Llamados this conference, the Beermen won two including an 88-83 playoff victory that determined the second and last outright semi-finals berth on July 2.

During the Philippine Cup though, the Llamados hold the Beermen's numbers, overcoming a 2-1 deficit to advance into the Finals, where they completed a stunning 4-0 sweep of Alaska for the title. - JVP, GMANews.TV