MANILA - The TNT KaTropa Texters secured a quarterfinals berth with a 102-98 victory but only after surviving a ferocious late-game comeback by the GlobalPort Batang Pier in the PBA Philippine Cup Wednesday night. The Texters snatched their sixth win in 10 games to join Phoenix in a tie for second to third place in the team standings, with one elimination round game left for each of them. Both have already qualified for the quarterfinals together with the top-seeded San Miguel Beermen. This leaves only five slots left for six teams battling for a place in the playoffs. GlobalPort nearly pulled the rug from under TNT after a huge run in the fourth quarter that saw the Batang Pier razing a 21-point Texters' lead to within two points, 100-98, with 36 seconds left. GlobalPort had the chance to knot the score but missed it after Stanley Pringle lost control of his drive to the basket. Troy Rosario, who earlier Wednesday was allowed to join the new Gilas pool, then sank two free throws to seal the victory for TNT. Rookie Roger Pogoy led the Texters with 20 points. GlobalPort's Terrence Romeo exploded for 35 points, 21 of them in the second half, on top of nine rebounds and six assists. Star 111, Blackwater 95 The Star Hotshots bolstered their playoff hopes, soundly beating the Blackwater Elite, 111-95, for their second straight win and fifth overall in nine games. The Hotshots thus joined a three-way tie for fourth to sixth place together with Alaska and Rain or Shine. Blackwater ended its elimination round schedule with a second straight defeat, sliding to solo ninth place with a 5-6 card. The Elite now find themselves in grave danger of missing the playoffs after a hot start in the conference. Star settled the contest with a 19-8 run in the fourth quarter to erect a 20-point lead, 107-87. Allein Maliksi came off the bench to lead Star with 26 points, including five three-pointers and five boards in just 23 minutes. Paul Lee and Justin Melton added 15 markers apiece while rookie Jio Jalalon chipped in with 14. The Hotshots were red-hot from long distance, converting 16 triples. Their defense also held up as they limited the Elite to just seven conversions from beyond the arc while making 10 steals and five blocks. Art dela Cruz proved his worth as a Gilas candidate, leading Blackwater with 23 points and six boards. Rookie Mac Belo, however, was limited to just six points on seven attempts in 31 minutes. Games Friday: Mahindra FloodBuster (2-7) vs. NLEX Road Warriors and Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (6-4) vs. Alaska Aces (5-4).
