Alaska stuns top-seed Talk 'N Text

Alaska coach Tim Cone knew his bench players needed to come in and contribute in order for them to beat Talk N Text.

Even he was as surprised as the next person with the kind of games his relievers put in as the Aces manhandled the Tropang Texters 104-88 Wednesday at the start of their PBA Fiesta Conference semifinals series at the Araneta Coliseum.

“Our starters played well, but it was a bench game for us,” Cone said, noting the quality minutes played by the likes of Reynel Hugnatan, Tony dela Cruz and Topex Robinson in giving them the headstart in the best-of-seven duel.

“Tony, our sixth man, came in and played with great energy, Topex did his things defensively… and Reynel was just incredible. They didn’t have an answer for him.”

Hugnatan was indeed the big difference.

Averaging just 4.4 points going into the game, the southpaw forward finished with 16 points and five rebounds in just 22 minutes, spearheading a second half breakaway that turned what was expected to be a close contest into a rout.

That translated into a lead that reached a high of 100-76, on a Baguio trey, 2:32 left in the game, before Alaska went on and upheld its custom of winning a best-of-seven opener as in its previous five race-to-four stints.

“We played almost picture-perfect in the second half and we must continue to do that to beat this team in this series,” stated Cone.

Ranidel de Ocampo led TNT with a gamehigh 20 points, but he and a fellow key frontliner got saddled by foul trouble early in the fourth period that hobbled the Tropang Texters’ ability to match the Aces’ dominance in the shaded areas.

In the end, Alaska wound up with a 53-47 advantage off the boards and shot a little better from beyond the arc 5-for-15 to TNT’s 5-for-23.

The Texters have lost five of their first six Game 1s in a best-of-seven and headed to keeping that dubious distinction when they started missing shots and, according to Cone, practically became “panicky” when they suffered in defense.

The player TNT was supposed to focus its defense on, Diamon Simpson, still got away with 19 points and 16 rebounds, with Joe Devance adding 19 points and LA TenoriO and Cyrus Baguio 13 points each.

Dela Cruz only had nine points but grabbed eight rebounds while Robinson, who came in when second-string playmaker Brandon Cablay suffered a sprain in the first period, had four points on perimeter jumpers.

Hugnatan remained the main man.

“I don’t think they had a real answer for Reynel because they focused so much on Diamon they forgot about some of our other players,” noted Cone. “That’s easy to do with the numbers Diamon puts up.”

Things all fell into place for Alaska in the third, with Devance sparking the team’s surge from a 44-46 deficit before Baguio and Hugnatan took over and led them to a 78-65 spread.(NC)

The scores:

Alaska 104 - Simpson 19, Devance 19, Hugnatan 16, Tenorio 13, Baguio 13, dela Cruz 9, Fonacier 5, Robinson 4, Eman 2, Borboran 0, Cablay 0.

Talk 'N Text 88 - de Ocampo 20, Cardona 17, Daniels 13, Carey 13, Castro 6, Reyes 6, Alapag 6, Williams 3, Dillinger 2, Aban 2, Yee 0, Quinahan 0.

Quarters: 20-38, 44-38, 78-68, 104-88