Unforgiving on both ends, the Texters on Sunday night broke away near the end of the third period to score a 104-88 victory over Barangay Ginebra and take a 2-1 lead in their best-of-seven series for the PBA Commissioner’s Cup at the Puerto Princesa Colizeum here.

Ranidel de Ocampo was at the heart of that telling run, and Jimmy Alapag made himself felt for the first time in the series as the Texters proved too hot to handle for the game Gin Kings, whose second loss was as lopsided as the first one.

De Ocampo finished with 21 points built around five triples, the last one coming with 5:02 left which gave the Texters a 92-79 lead as Talk ‘N Text reassumed the role of favorite and will come into Wednesday’s Game 4 as the heavy, heavy pick.

Four others after De Ocampo and Alapag scored in twin digits for the Texters, with import Paul Harris and Jason Castro shooting 15 each, Harvey Carey adding 13 and Ali Peek shooting 10 hard-earned points.

Alapag, who was 1-for-11 from three-point range in a 106-108 Game 2 loss last Friday, accounted for 11 with his first triple, which came at the 5:45 mark of the third period, forming part of a 9-0 tear that gave the Texters a 68-61 lead.

And that was all the Texters needed to gather momentum the rest of the way, as a hot shooting stretch that featured the last four triples for the team gave them a 95-83 lead with slightly over three minutes left in the contest.

“It was a very tough battle out there,” Talk ‘N Text coach Chot Reyes said on the way to the dugout, obviously pleased that his wards battled hard for every rebound, every possession.

“That game was all about runs and we defended a lot better and that was the key,” he continued. “After the Game 2 loss, we made sure that we would play a lot better defense tonight.”

The Texters made Nate Brumfield practically bleed for his points, as they harassed the burly Ginebra import every time he made his way inside.

Brumfield was held to a harmless 16 points as Mark Caguioa, a hard-nosed fighter who played his heart out on both ends, led the squad with 18 markers.

Ginebra also labored hard inside starting the second quarter after Rudy Hatfield picked up three quick fouls near the end of the opening stanza. That made it doubly difficult for the Kings to match up with Talk ‘N Text’s big men, as Eric Menk, the former MVP, proved a tad slower than the Texters’ frontliners.

Talk ‘N Text also shut down Ronald Tubid and Willie Miller, as the duo combined for no more than five points. Game 2 hero John Wilson, after shooting 16 points on Friday, just had nine, only one in the fourth quarter.

Mike Cortez, who has been starting at the point for the Kings, fired 13 points, including back-to-back triples to close out the third period and shove Ginebra to within 74-79.

But the Kings were held scoreless for the first 2:13 of the fourth, and after John Wilson made a bucket to snap that rut, the Texters scored two triples to make it 89-78.

Larry Fonacier then answered a Caguioa basket with a trey of his own as the rout gathered full steam and silenced a pro-Ginebra crowd that braved the oven-like heat in the venue.