Texters, Kings nail semis opener

MANILA, Philippines -- Talk n Text survived a late surge by Air21 Express, pulling away with a 97-90 victory in Game One of their best-of-seven semifinal series at the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Paul Harris and Ranidel De Ocampo anchored the Texters’ offense, finishing with 31 and 27 points, respectively. The versatile import spiked his performance with 13 rebounds and five assists.

Ahead 28-19 after the first quarter, the Texters unleashed a 13-0 assault with 7:36 left in the second canto to stretch their lead to 21 points.

But separate treys from Josh Urbiztondo brought the Express closer, 86-79, with 7:01 left in the fourth quarter. Air21 eventually trimmed the lead to five with 34.4 seconds left, but separate free throws from Jimmy Alapag and Harris sealed the win for the Texters.

In the second game, Nate Brumfield stood his ground against Marcus Douthit and came through with key plays at the finish, allowing Barangay Ginebra to escape with a 97-96 win over Smart Gilas in Game One of their own semis showdown.

Brumfield matched Douthit’s 31-point effort, capping his solid game with a three-point play and a big offensive rebound that won it for the Kings.

“It’s really hard to play Smart Gilas. You just have to play here and play there, and hope things work out. It’s a big relief we won this game,” said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

Game Two of the semifinals will be held on Monday, also at the Araneta Coliseum.