Jay R. Gotera Saudi Gazette MANILA — Finally flashing his fiery NBA form after a tepid first game, import Rodney Carey sizzled for 28 points and seven rebounds to lead the Talk N Text Tropang Texters to a 103-97 victory over the San Miguel Beermen Saturday night in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The backcourt duo of Jayson Castro and Jimmy Alapag also delivered key baskets in the final quarter as the Texters nailed their third win in four outings to join Air21 and San Mig Super Coffee at second to fourth place in the standings behind the leader, Barangay Ginebra (3-0). After Carney scored all his points in the first three quarters, Castro and Alapag combined for 20 of the Texters' 27 points in the fourth quarter. Castro finished with 21 points while Alapag had 18 points, 12 of them in the final period. Alapag connected on three straight triples to give TNT a 99-92 lead in the homestretch. But the Beermen, led by their import Reggie Williams, struck back to cut the deficit to 99-97, with 22.1 ticks left. Ranidel De Ocampo sank two free throws to pad TNT's lead to 101-97, with 20.6 seconds left, virtually wrapping the contest. Williams finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists in 44 minutes of action. June Mar Fajardo dominated the paint, notching a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds. Arwind Santos added 18 points. The loss snapped the Beermen's three-game winning streak as they slid to solo fifth in the rankings with a 3-2 card. Rain or Shine 96, Barako Bull 93 A 9-0 run in the endgame powered the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters to a hard-fought 96-93 victory over the Barako Bull Energy in the first match of the Saturday twin-bill. Rain or Shine improved to a 2-3 record with the win, good for solo seventh place in the standings. Barako Bull suffered its fourth straight defeat to tumble to ninth place with a 1-4 card. The Painters had the lead for most parts of the match even as the Energy kept breathing down their necks. Barako Bull finally managed to wrest the lead in the fourth stanza, erecting as much as a five-point lead, 83-77. The Energy were still up by five, 90-85, when the Painters uncorked a blistering 9-0 run to take a 94-90 lead with 1:11 left. Barako Bull's Mick Pennisi buried a triple to cut the ROS lead to 94-93. Regaining possession, the Energy had two chances to snatch back the lead, but Jeric Fortuna and JC Intal both missed. Jeff Chan then scored on an easy layup to push the Painters up by three again, 96-93. Barako Bull still had one final stab to tie the match but Willie Miller's contested shot at the buzzer clanked off the rim. Import Arizona Reid led Rain or Shine with 34 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists. Chan had 15 while Paul Lee added 12. Import Eric Wise exploded for a tournament-high 41 points for Barako Bull, but it was not enough to turn the tides of battle. Fortuna added 14 points while Keith Jensen had 10. Games Sunday: Meralco Bolts vs. Alaska Aces and San Mig Super Coffee Mixers vs. Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings.
