MANILA, 9 July 2007 — Playing steady all game long, Talk ‘N Text last night rebounded from its worst beating by dealing Alaska a whipping of its own.
The Phone Pals seized control early and never let up, holding off the Aces the entire night to pound out a 120-113 Game 2 victory at the Araneta Coliseum that evened the best-of-seven series for the PBA Fiesta Cup.
Mac Cardona, checked for just 13 points in the series-opener, devastated the Aces with 30 last night, 12 of them coming in the third period when Alaska tried to claw back from several double-digit deficits.
The Cardona that showed up for Game 2 was the same player that led the Phone Pals past Red Bull in the semifinals, where the former La Salle ace averaged more than 30 a game. And JJ Sullinger and Donbel Belano delivered to make sure that the Phone Pals would not fold up again, like they did on Friday night when they bungled a 17-point lead to lose by a mile, 86-113.
“I challenged my players after that (Game 1) disaster,” coach Derrick Pumaren said. “I told them to show everyone what they are made of, and we came out with a totally different attitude tonight. “Right from the start, we were very focused, and that speaks a lot of the character that this team has.”
Sullinger, who is in a heated race with Alaska counterpart Rosell Ellis for the Best Import plum, was good for 29 points, while Belano, who scored 16 points in the same number of minutes in the first half, finished with 24, which tied his career-high.
“We hung tough out there, and I am very proud of that,” Pumaren added. “But we can’t relax just because we were able to equalize. We need to stay on our toes and anticipate what adjustments they (Aces) will make.” Game 3 is set for Wednesday, just after the Best Player of the Conference and the Best Import trophies are handed out.
The Phone Pals established their will right from the get-go and led by as many as 16 points in the third period before thwarting a series of Alaska rallies which Ellis led.
And it was the troika of Cardona, Sullinger and Belano which stood in the forefront of it all, with Cardona scoring from inside and out to not only redeem himself from that Game 1 disappointment but restore his confidence for the remainder of the series.
A Cardona layup with 5:28 left in the third period gave the Phone Pals an 80-64 bubble before the Aces threatened. Sullinger then scored on a spectacular double-handed followup that restored a 90-74 lead with 2:35 left.
Alaska, to its credit, never gave up until the final horn, and even if coach Tim Cone described the officiating as “ridiculous.”
The Aces crept to within five several times, the first at 96-101 after Ellis fed Eddie Laure for a layup inside with still 8:30 to play.
Nic Belasco then completed a three-point play off Don Allado for 106-111 with 4:40 left, but Harvey Carey scored on a layup and two free throws that sandwiched a split by Ellis to keep the Aces at bay, 114-107 entering the final three minutes. “To be fair, they came out and kicked our butt right from the start,” Cone, seeking to win his 12th title in his 19th title series appearance, said. “But the thing that upsets me the most is whether or not the referees are going to let the games be decided by the players.
“They made bad calls all the time.”
Ellis went on to lead the Aces with 40 points, which was just six of his PBA career high he scored when he first came over as the import of Coca-Cola in 2001. Mike Cortez and Willie Miller scored 15 and 16, respectively, and were outplayed by Belano and Cardona.
