PBA: Alapag sizzles, tows TNT to 1-0 semis lead

Jimmy Alapag, the smallest man on the court, continued his giant-slaying ways. The player known as The Mighty Mouse struck hard in the crucial moments of Game 1 of a best-of-seven semifinals series in the PBA Philippine Cup. He knocked in 20 points, including a dagger four-point play in the final 2:07 of the match, to tow Talk N Text to a 98-91 win over defending champion B-Meg Derby Ace Sunday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. With the game hanging in the balance, the 5-foot-9 Alapag unloaded a 25-foot shot from left quarter court. He made the basket besides drawing a foul from Jonas Villanueva, then completed the rare four-point play for a 94-87 lead.

The Llamados appeared to lose steam from then on, as Rico Maierhofer turned the ball over, allowing Alapag to feed Ali Peek for a fastbreak basket that made it 96-87, with 1:38 left. That proved to be the insurance basket the Tropang Texters needed in taking a 1-0 lead in the series. Game 2 will be played on Jan. 5. “They (Llamados) just kept coming back and I just told them to relax. Good thing we will have a week-long break and we will use that to get sharp," said Talk `N Text coach Chot Reyes. Aside from Alapag, the Tropang Texters also got a big lift from comebacking Ranidel de Ocampo. Playing in just his fifth game of the season after undergoing operations last October to remove bone spurs in his feet, the dead-shot forward added 18 points, 16 coming in the second quarter when Talk `N Text seized the lead for good. Down 20-22 early in the game, the Tropang Texters turned things around with a 13-0 blast, a stretch that saw De Ocampo scoring 10 points. The run enabled Talk `N Text to seize control of the game and lead at the half, 54-42, as De Ocampo knocked in four three-point shots. But the Tropang Texters had to survive some anxious moments as James Yap exploded for a conference-high 36 points for the Llamados, who played minus starting point guard Roger Yap. James Yap almost single-handedly carried the fight for Derby Ace, rallying the defending champions from a 47-66 deficit in the third period to within 87-90 entering the final two- minute mark. Fortunately for the Tropang Texters, Alapag was there to save the day for them. “We were able to contain Jonas Villanueva and PJ Simon, but we were not able to take care of our lead," said Reyes. After playing impressive games in his team’s quarterfinals victory over Meralco, Simon was held to 14 points this time, while Villanueva struggled for only three markers. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV