MANILA: Talk 'N Text was the biggest footnote in Purefoods’ Grand Slam year last season.

On Tuesday night — after more than a year of trying — the Tropang Texters now have what they failed to get in three tries last year: The chance to close out the Star Hotshots in a playoff series.

Jason Castro was at the firing end of the whirlwind Talk 'N Text offensive as the Tropang Texters took a 2-1 lead over the defending champion Star Hotshots in their PBA Commissioner’s Cup Final Four series after a 111-107 triumph at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Casto made 8-of-9 tries from beyond the arc, including his last seven that tied the third most all-time, as he spearheaded the Texters to the rousing win that put Talk ‘N Text in the lead in a series for the first time against Purefoods dating back to the Philippine Cup last season.

Purefoods, then known as San Mig Coffee, took the Texters out in the Philippine Cup quarterfinals, 2-1, won this event, 3-1 over Talk 'N Text before scoring a 3-1 win in the Final Four of the Governors’ Cup last year.

And on Saturday afternoon, also at the fabled Big Dome floor, the Texters take the first of two chances they have to return the favor and take away the second of three titles that Purefoods holds.

Ivan Johnson scored 26 points that went with 14 rebounds, four assists and two blocks and reserve off-guard Aaron Aban tossed in 17 for the Texters, who canned a total of 19 triples.

Those 19 treys equaled the tournament mark set by Rain or Shine in Game 2 of the Elasto Painters’ series with Meralco. Talk 'N Text was just a tad better percentage-wise after taking only 32 attempts to the Elasto Painters’ 38.

“It was good that we made our outside shots. I hope we can shoot that way every night,” Talk 'N Text coach Jong Uichico told reporters. “We got open looks and took them.”

Denzel Bowles paced the Hotshots with 39 points and Peter June Simon fired 18, but the Hotshots lagged behind by as large as 10 early in the fourth which the Texters protected until the final buzzer.

A win by the Texters on Saturday would put them in a best-of-seven series against Rain or Shine starting Wednesday next week. The Elasto Painters applied the broom on Meralco in their side of the Final Four last Tuesday night.

Castro and Ranidel De Ocampo had three-pointers in succession which opened up a 102-92 lead going into the final 6:26.

And when the Hotshots came up with their last-ditch effort to salvage the game, 103-108 after a split by Mark Barroca from the free throw line, Castro put the game to bed with the last of his three-pointers coming on the run, 111-103, going into the final 76 seconds.

Meanwhile, the board of governors on Wednesday night pruned down the list of candidates for the new game commissioner to six and gave out the names before Game 3 of the Talk 'N Text-Purefoods series.

Five old-time PBA personalities were in the list, but the sixth came as a surprise.

Mark Fisher, a 54-year-old American who is a graduate of Harvard, suddenly looms as the heavy favorite owing to his credentials that include running the NBA’s affairs in the Asia-Pacific region and his involvement with the highly successful Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Sportscaster Charlie Cuna, a lawyer, Jay Adalem, Rickie Santos of the PBA, former Ginebra guard Vince Hizon and active player Danny Seigle were the others named to the short list.

Chairman Patrick Gregorio of PLDT made the announcement together with headhunting firm Global Executive Solution president Ray Canilao and outgoing commissioner Chito Salud.

The board hopes to come up with the name that will succeed Salud not later than May 15.