MANILA — The TNT KaTropa Texters beat Alaska's vaunted defense with their long-range bombs to hack out a 109-100 victory in the PBA Philippine Cup Friday night. It was the Texters' second straight win and fourth overall in six games, lifting them into a tie for second to fourth place with idle Blackwater and Rain or Shine. The loss snapped Alaska's three-game winning streak as the Aces settled for a 3-3 card that dropped into a tie for seventh to eighth place with Phoenix. Troy Rosario and Larry Fonacier starred in the win for TNT, which nailed 14 of 31 attempts from beyond the three-point arc. Rosario, the sophomore forward, scored a game-high 26 points, including six triples, plus seven rebounds, one assist, and one steal in 27 minutes. Fonacier added 16 markers, including four treys. Jayson Castro came off the bench to also post 16 points, including two triples, on top of six assists, two boards, and one block in 26 minutes. Ranidel de Ocampo added 10 markers. Calvin Abueva paced the Aces with 18 points, 12 boards and four assists. Vic Manuel added 16 markers, Kevin Racal with 14 and Chris Banchero 12. The Texters led by 16, 54-38, at halftime before the Aces unleashed a 32-point barrage in the third quarter to cut TNT's advantage to seven. However, the Texters repulsed the Aces with a series of booming three-pointers from Rosario and Fonacier to give TNT a commanding 15-point lead, 87-72, en route to victory. Rain or Shine 107, NLEX 97 The Rain or Shine Elasto Painters razed a 12-point deficit to defeat the NLEX Road Warriors, 107-97. Jewel Ponferada led Rain or Shine with team-highs of 22 points and nine rebounds while Jericho Cruz added 19 points, eight of them in the pivotal fourth quarter. Jeff Chan and James Yap added 16 and 13 points, respectively, while Gabe Norwood chipped in with 11. Rain or Shine improved to 4-2, tying TNT and Blackwater for second to fourth places while NLEX suffered a fifth straight loss after winning its opener to fall to 11th place. Sean Anthony led NLEX with 22 points and 16 rebounds. Games Sunday: Mahindra Flood Buster (0-5) vs. Blackwater Elite (4-2) and Barangay Ginebra Kings (2-3) vs. Star Hotshots (3-2).
