MANILA, 15 June 2003 — Joel Banal is set to take a long break from his acting coaching chores at Talk ‘N’Text, bent as he is on fulfilling his commitment to prepare Ateneo for the coming UAAP season. But it doesn’t mean he is not equally determined to take the Phone Pals as far as they may go in the Samsung PBA All-Filipino Cup.
This Banal proved by steering Talk ‘N’Text to a coasting 99-86 victory over Barangay Ginebra Friday that gave the Phone Pals one of the semifinals slots in Group B in the quarterfinals of the Philippine Basketball Association All-Filipino Cup at the Ynares Center. Asi Taulava had another monster game with 31 points, 22 rebounds and six assists and got plenty of help from his teammates as the Phone Pals eliminated the Kings from contention.
Jimmy Alapag and Patrick Fran lent big hands to their prized slotman in several spirited surges that saw the Phone Pals race to several 16-point leads in the third period before quashing the Kings’ last-ditch rally in the fourth. The win was Talk ‘N’Text’s second in three quarterfinals games.
In the second game, defending champion Coca-Cola leaned on the fourth quarter burst of Jeffrey Cariaso, who struggled with his shooting early, and hammered out a heart-stopping 80-79 victory over a hard-fighting Red Bull crew.
The Tigers swept their quarterfinal assignment and took the top semifinal seat in Group B.
