The defending champions Talk ’N Text Tropang Texters rediscovered their dreaded offensive rhythm to coast to a series-tying 100-85 win over the B-Meg Llamados in a fight-marred Game Four of the 37th PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals last night at the Araneta Coliseum.
Jared Dillinger and Larry Fonacier both scored 18 points, leading four other teammates in double figures as the Texters evened the series at two-all.
Jayson Castro finished with 15 points, import Donnel Harvey tallied 14, while Jimmy Alapag and Ranidel De Ocampo scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
Talk ’N Text had a slim 25-24 lead after the first quarter but started tearing the game apart in the next period and sat on a 47-35 lead at the turn.
The Texters led by as many as 19 points in the third but the Llamados trimmed down the deficit to nine, 58-67, on a 10-0 blast.
With Jayson Castro making four straight points, the Texters ended the third with a 6-2 blast to restore another double-digit advantage entering the fourth.
Talk ’N Text led by double-digit the rest of the way for the easy win.
The game was already in the bag for Talk ’N Text when trouble broke out in the final 1:47.
Tempers flared up when Talk ’N Text’s third-stringer guard Pamboy Raymundo hit Josh Urbiztondo with an elbow while fighting off a pick.
Urbiztondo reacted by bumping Ryamundo. Joe Devance joined the fray as he tossed the ball to Raymundo’s face.
The guard retaliated by slapping Devance in the nape. The commotion didn’t stop there as B-Meg head coach Tim Cone rushed to the Texters’ bench and was seen arguing with Talk ’N Text team consultant Norman Black.
When the smoke cleared, Urbiztondo was assessed with a technical foul for second motion while Devance and Raymundo were tossed out for flagrant foul penalty two and flagrant foul penalty one, respectively.
Denzel Bowles, who collared the tournament’s Best Import award, and Devance led the Llamados with 17 points each.
James Yap and Peter June Simon scored just 14 and five points, respectively.