MANILA: The PBA All-Star Week break is coming up and all that Talk 'N Text coach Jong Uichico could think about is to continue working.

The Tropang Texters will come into the annual classic holding at least a share of the Commissioner’s Cup lead after posting a 96-88 decision of Globalport on Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao.

Talk 'N Text bounced back from a loss to newcomer KIA Motors last week after getting 35 points and 20 rebounds from import Ivan Johnson and 25 points from the veteran Ranidel De Ocampo that jacked up the Texters’ record to 6-2.

“This is a good win for us to take into the All-Star break,” Uichico told reporters later in his same stoic tone. “We need to work on some things. I will just give the players two days’ off and then it’s back to work for us.”

Talk ‘N Text eased out of a three-way tie for the lead with idle Meralco and Rain or Shine and Uichico said that right now, the target is to at least finish in second spot to avail of an advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

“We still want to keep on winning,” Uichico said. “The target remains to be top two.”

The Tropang Texters pulled away in the third period with 10 unanswered points ushering them to a 67-55 bubble that eventually dropped the Batang Pier to a level 4-4 record.

Johnson and De Ocampo were at the forefront of that breakaway.

Terrence Romeo, the hot-shooting sophomore guard out of Far Eastern, paced the Batang Pier with 20 points with import Calvin Warner failing to solve the defense played on him by Johnson to finish with just 19 markers.

"It's a good comeback despite losing to KIA," said Uichico. "Our good defense translated to out offense and the effort was there for 48 minutes."

Rookie Matt Rosser-Ganuelas was the third man in twin digits for Uichico with 13.

In the second game, James Yap, after bungling a step-back three-pointer which could have won it in regulation for Purefoods, hurt San Miguel Beer in overtime and towed the Star Hotshots to a 113-105 win in the second game.

The big-sized crowd at the Big Dome that expected nothing less than a dogfight from the sister teams got what they came for with Yap playing at his best in extension as the defending champion Star Hotshots rose to 5-2.

Yap, the former two-time MVP, scored eight of his total in the extra five minutes — including two three-pointers under heavy pressure from Marcio Lassiter — before feeding Marc Pingris for a layup 111-105, going into the final 44 seconds.

San Miguel, struggling after winning the Philippine Cup over Alaska less than two months before, rallied from a 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter to forge overtime at 98 and clearly looked to have momentum before Yap stepped in.

The loss was the third straight for the Beermen – the second such losing streak for them – in a 1-6 card as they stayed in the bottom and are in grave danger of missing the playoffs.

"Luckily, the guys started to focus before overtime and James had his big moments just like what he has done a lot of times in his career," said Purefoods coach Tim Cone.

“Just when you thought that you were going to walk away with a win you’re dragged into overtime,” added Cone. “It’s a desperation game, they (Beermen) were playing desperate.”

Denzel Bowles, the former Best Import who is actually the third reinforcement for the Hotshots here, carried Purefoods in the first three quarters and dropped 30 of his 35 points despite what Cone said was a “struggle on his fitness.”

Arizona Reid fired 23 points to pace San Miguel, which drew 21 from Lassiter.