BARANGAY GINEBRA ROUTS TALK ‘N TEXT IN SEMIS OPENER

Talk ‘N Text forward Ranidel de Ocampo scored the first basket of the game but it turned out to be his team’s only bright moment as Barangay Ginebra went on a blistering 26-8 run led by Mac Baracael en route to a 104-81 massacre in the opening game of the Final 4 in the Cebuana Lhuillier-backed PBA Commissioner’s Cup playoffs Friday night in front of 14,627 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Riding high on the momentum of their two-game upset of No. 2 seed Rain or Shine in the quarterfinals, the Kings used a torrid shooting from three-point range while holding the Tropang Texters to their worst in recent years to record the ghastly rout that resulted in a 1-0 headstart in their bets-of-five semifinal.

Import Vernon Macklin’s 25 and veteran Kerby Raymundo’s 14 led five players who scored in double figures for Barangay Ginebra which shot 10-of-21 from beyond the arc (42%).

Only three players, led by import Jerome Jordan’s 21, finished in double figure scores for Talk ‘N Text which shot a horrendous 1-of-18 (6%) from three-point range.

The 23-point win was the Kings’ biggest in the playoffs’ since a 102-76 rout of San Miguel Beer in Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinal in the 2010-11 Philippine Cup.

The loss was Talk ‘N Text worst in the playoffs since a 113-85 massacre at the hands of Alaska in Game 1 of the 2007 Fiesta Conference best-of-seven Finals when the team was still under Derick Pumaren.

The scores:

BARANGAY GINEBRA 104 – Macklin 25, Raymundo 14, Ellis 13, Baracael 12, Urbiztondo 12, Tenorio 8, Helterbrand 8, Maierhofer 5, Labagala 2, Wilson 2, Hatfield 2, Taha 1, Espiritu 0.

TALK ‘N TEXT 81 – Jordan 21, Castro 18, De Ocampo 12, Al-Hussaini 6, Reyes 6, Ferriols 5, Fonacier 4, Alapag 3, Raymundo 2, Aban 2, Carey 2, Dillinger 0.

Quarterscores: 33-15, 59-36, 81-56, 104-81


SOURCE: PBAinquirer