IT was that kind of a night for Willie Wilson and RR Garcia.
The veteran savvy of Wilson and the youthful zest of Garcia lifted Barako Bull to a stunning 105-98 overtime upset triumph over Talk ‘N Text as the Energy put themselves in a better position in the 2015 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City last night.
Wilson, who played 45 minutes, defied fatigue and had a career-high of 28 points and 20 rebounds, while Garcia carried his squad on his shoulders down the stretch by scoring 13 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime as the two combined for 48 points to power the Energy to victory.
Barako Bull moved up to a three-way tie with Barangay Ginebra and NLEX for sixth place on similar 4-4 cards. Talk ‘N Text slipped to fifth with its 4-3 record.
Garcia, who eventually missed the game’s final three minutes after injuring his right shoulder by contesting a jumper from Jayson Castro, opened up the extension by hitting two free throws to give Barako Bull a 99-98 edge.
Castro then had a split at the stripe to trim Talk ‘N Text’s deficit to just a single point, 98-99.
However, it was all Barako Bull from there when Wilson took charge after Garcia went down and scored five of the Energy’s final six points in the last two minutes.
Three straight points from Wilson gave Barako Bull a safer 102-98 lead heading into the final minute and that would be enough for the Energy to come away with the win.
The two squads exchanged two free throws in the waning seconds of regulation as the tally was evened up at 97-all in the closing moments.
Castro had a chance to win it for Talk ‘N Text, but his potential-winning triple attempt from the left elbow just rattled out as time expired, sending the game into overtime.
Talk ‘N Text owned the opening period, winning it 27-19 to open up a good lead.
It was then Barako Bull’s turn to take the second period as its 18-5 bomb to start it turned its deficit into a 38-32 lead halfway there but Talk ‘N Text recovered to trim its deficit to just a single point, 43-44, at the half as the game was hanging in the balance heading to the final 24 minutes of play.
Game Saturday
(AUF Cultural Center— Angeles City, Pampanga)
5 p.m. – Barangay Ginebra
vs. Blackwater