MANILA – The Talk N Text Tropang Texters survived a furious comeback by the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the homestretch to prevail, 113-111, Sunday night in the PBA Governors' Cup at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum. The win was the third straight and the fourth in seven games for the Texters as they climbed to solo third in the standings. The loss sent Ginebra into a four-way tie for fourth to seventh place with Petron Blaze, Meralco and Powerade, all with a 4-4 win-loss card. Only the top six teams will qualify for the semifinal round. Paul Harris led the Texters with 30 points and 10 rebounds. But it was Jayson Castro who preserved the win for the Texters as he scored the last six points for his team, including a miraculous shot as he was falling down near the sideline that gave Talk N Text a 111-108 lead with 27.6 seconds remaining. Castro finished with 18 points. Ranidel de Ocampo chipped in 21 points while Larry Fonacier drilled 19 for Talk N Text. Only two Ginebra players scored in double figures – Mark Caguioa and Cedric Bozeman, both with 32 points, a conference-high for Caguioa. In the opener of Sunday's twinbill, Sol Mercado sizzled for 15 points in the fourth period to power the Meralco Bolts to a 91-78 victory over the Powerade Tigers. Mercado's sudden explosion allowed the Bolts to notch their second straight win and fourth in eight games, improving Meralco's bid to grab one of the six semifinals slots. NBA veteran Mario West once again led the Bolts with 29 points and nine rebounds. He also shone on defense as he limited Powerade's top gunner and the league's top local scorer Gary David to just 20 points. David had a 27 points per game average coming into the game. Interviewed after the game, West said he had little trouble guarding David since he has guarded some of the best players in the world, including the Lakers' Kobe Bryant, the Thunders' Kevin Durant and the Knicks' Carmelo Anthony.
