MANILA: A semblance of a shot.

That’s what Barangay Ginebra coach Jong Uichico thinks he and his Gin Kings now have after nearly succumbing again in the endgame Wednesday night before posting a 102-95 victory over Talk ‘N Text to stay alive in their Philippine Cup quarterfinal series at the Araneta Coliseum.

“We almost blew it again today,” Uichico said, referring to losing a 13-point halftime lead early in the third quarter which made it a nip-and-tuck game. “Talk ‘N Text is really a difficult foe. We were up by 13 (at the half) and then boom, they were back in it (game).

“Now that we are at 1-2 (in the best-of-five series), we now have a semblance of a shot (at winning it),” he said.

JC Intal started out at one of the forward spots and finished with a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Eric Menk had 20 and seven as the Kings seized momentum somewhat heading into the crucial fourth game on Friday.

“Hopefully, we can get through Friday’s game and extend it up to Sunday (for a Game 5).”

Ronald Tubid, who had a miserable shooting night, made his only basket for the night matter in a big way.

He hit a three-pointer with 5:46 left which shattered the game’s last tie at 87 before Intal got a perfect feed from Celino Cruz for a lay-up that made it 92-87. Tubid’s only other point came from the free throw line with under a minute left which made it 100-97.

Talk ‘N Text then had two chances to tie the game, but Ren-Ren Ritualo uncharacteristically missed a wide open triple try before Intal, who came back into the game after a brief respite because of cramps, muffed two free throws with nine seconds remaining.

Jimmy Alapag was then set up for another triple attempt, but he took it from almost 30 feet out as Menk grabbed the rebound and was sent to the stripe by an Ali Peek foul for the game’s final two points in the last 1.9 seconds.

No team since 1993, or when the quarterfinals was first introduced, has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series to win.

Like Ginebra, Rain or Shine also put itself in a position toward becoming the first after the Elasto Painters outsteadied undermanned Purefoods, 95-92, in the first game, to also make it 2-1 in their separate quarterfinal series.

Purefoods and Talk ‘N Text take another shot at sealing their places in the Final Four Friday also at the Big Dome.

Jeff Chan scored 12 of his 17 points in the fourth period and Gabe Norwood scored the most important basket for Rain or Shine in the final four seconds to lift the Painters, who, like the Kings, were coming off a painful Game 2 loss.

“I just told the players that we have to come out and compete every game and not look at the standings,” Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia told reporters. “I still believe that we can make a comeback in this series.

“We have been playing good basketball in our last six games,” he added, referring to a sudden rise in form near the end of the elimination round. “We will just have to take it one game at a time.”

Norwood, last year’s winner of the top rookie award, scored on a follow-up of a missed Chan lay-up for what turned out to be the final count, sealing Rain or Shine’s first quarterfinal win in this tournament.

“I was just in the right place at the right time,” Norwood said of his two-handed dunk that silenced a huge Purefoods crowd.

“It’s been tough mentally for us, we have been playing well and yet we lost the first two games of the series,” he added, referring to a one-point Game 2 loss that came after they have built leads of as large as 20 points. “We felt that it could have been us sweeping them.”

Nino Canaleta scored 18 points to lead Purefoods, which failed to achieve its first sweep in 17 years or since beating corporate rival Swift in the 1993 All-Filipino semi-finals. James Yap added 17 points but was a nightmare at the 3-point line, going 0-of-8. Roger Yap also had 17 points but committed four turnovers.