Cardona came through with a three-point play and a triple in the closing seconds, and the Tropang Texters averted total collapse, salvaging a 124-122 win over the Alaska Milk Aces in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Astrodome Friday night.

The Tropang Texters blew away a 19-point lead early in the fourth but survived, getting back on the winning track after bowing to the Barako Bull Energy Boosters the last time out where they squandered a 24-point spread.

"Even before the game, I didn’t want to think about Alaska. I was concerned with our own game. We just can’t be consistent," said Talk n Text coach Chot Reyes.

"It’s really a cause for concern. We can’t hold on to a big lead. We can be explosive in one stretch but play so very bad in the next stretch. Good thing there will be a league break. Hopefully, we can do something with our game," Reyes added.

Bouncing back from their 133-135 defeat to Energy Boosters Sunday, the Texters hit the .500 mark with three wins against three losses, going into the 12-day league break.

"I really feel we’re very lucky to be at .500. We’re blessed. I do think the efforts we dished out in our first six games warranted us the worst record in the tourney," Reyes said.

Alaska failed to complete a come-from-behind win, suffering a second straight defeat and reeling to 2-5 overall.

Erasing an 82-101 deficit, the Aces engaged the Texters in a fierce endgame battle only to yield the game just the same as they failed to convert a basket in the last 15 seconds of play.

Joe Devance misfired a potential game-winning three-point attempt then Rosell Ellis was caught stepping on the baseline after grabbing the offensive rebound.

Alaska had just tied the game at 118-all when Cardona came through with a three-point play off Devance to push TnT back on top.

Then after Alaska seized a one-point lead at 122-121 on back-to-back baskets by Devance, Cardona again came to TnT’s rescue, rifling a booming trey on a kick-out by Ranidel de Ocampo.

Tiras Wade delivered much of the firepower for TnT early on before concentrating on defense versus Rosell Ellis in the fourth quarter.

"A big credit goes to Wade for defending well against Ellis at the finish. Ang problema lang napagod at hindi na nakaopensa nung huli. Pero talagang ganon, give and take," said Reyes in lauding his import who knocked in seven triples and finished with a game-high 35 points.

Jared Dillinger and Jimmy Alapag had double-double games but Cardona stole the thunder in the end.

Ellis wound up with 30 points and 17 rebounds with Devance contributing 20  points and LA Tenorio and Willie Miller 18 apiece for Alaska.

Renren Ritualo sat out the rematch of the Philippine Cup finalists, ending his streak of 278 games played. He was about to tie Dante Gonzalgo’s record of 280 games at second behind Alvin Patrimonio’s 596.

 Ellis and Wade engaged in an early shootout, starring for their respective teams as the Aces and the Texters figured in 10 deadlocks and 12 lead changes in the first half.

The Alaska import had 19 points as against his TnT counterpart’s 17 in the first 24 minutes which ended with the Aces four points up at 62-58.

The Aces converted 61.1 percent of their shots, making up for their poor showing in rebounds and assists.

Ellis drew huge help from Tenorio and Miller in the first half with the Alaska backcourt tandem combining for 20 points, five assists and four rebounds.(PBA)

Scooter McFadgon scored 16 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, fueling the Barako Bull uprising capped by two free throws by Jojo Duncil in the last 5.5 seconds for the final count.

The Energy Boosters improved their record to 2-4 while dealing the Tropang Texters their third loss against two wins.

"Hindi masamang tsumamba. Eh, binibigay sa amin, eh di kunin," said Barako Bull coach Leo Isaac.

The Texters had looked on their way to a third straight win, enjoying a 12-point lead at 132-120 before running into a maze of errors and misses in the last two minutes of play.

Their misery started with Jimmy Alapag committing a passing error in a three-against-one fastbreak play.

McFadgon parlayed that Alapag booboo into a three-pointer, igniting a 13-0 run that pushed Barako Bull ahead at 133-132 with 36.9 seconds left.

Harvey Carey tied the count at 133-all on a split charities off Larry Rodriguez’s sixth and final count 13 seconds later.

Then came Duncil winning it for the Energy Boosters as the former UST stalwart, drawing a foul from Macmac Cardona on a drive with 5.5 ticks left, coolly sank the deciding free throws.

Ranidel de Ocampo had a chance to salvage the game for Talk n Text but the 6-foot-4 forward missed a make-or-break drive at the buzzer.

"Down by 24, we just told ourselves not to give up, and we just kept on pushing and pushing," said Isaac.

"Mga reserves na ang naglaro sa amin — Mike Hrabak, Warren Ybanez and Larry Rodriguez — noong huli. Ang bilin namin lagi sa kanila magpakita, pag nabigyan ng pagkakataon. Yon ang ginawa nila," said Isaac.

Hrabak, Ybanez and Rodriguez had their significant contribution in the amazing win — the biggest come-from-behind victory since Magnolia overcame a 25-point deficit in a 96-93 decision over Talk n Text during the 2007-08 Fiesta Conference.

The Texters and the Energy Boosters engaged in a torrid offensive battle in the first half with each team shooting above 55 percent.

Tiras Wade had had near double-double numbers right in the first two quarters, scattering 17 points and grabbing eight rebounds as the Texters took the half at 76-64.

Wade, Alapag and Jason Castro got TnT to a strong start and Mark Cardona sustained the pace coming off the bench as the Texters erected a huge margin right in the first quarter at 47-30.

The Texters ripped the game apart in the opening period while shooting 76 percent as against the Energy Boosters’ 45.8-percent clip.

The Energy Boosters, however, patiently worked their way, reducing the deficit to single digit in the third quarter.(PBA)

The Giants settled with Thorpe, a product of University of Houston, with Marquin Chandler still unavailable, yet to finish his engagement in the Japanese league.

Thorpe, 24, arrived Thursday night from the United States. He was measured at 6-4 15/16 in the PBA office Friday before joining the Giants in Bacolod City for their game in  Victorias City, Negros Occidental where they play the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in one leg of the PBA Phoenix Fuel on Tour.

Thorpe is listed in the Houston Cougars journal as a 6-foot-6, 225-pound forward. Houston U is the same school that produced Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler among other great players. Former Great Taste and Manila Beer import Michael Young was a member of a Cougars team that won a championship in the mid-80s.

The Giants got off to a 2-0 start in the tourney but have since gone on a slump with Hamilton’s game taking a downturn after debuting with a triple-double performance to lead the team to a 131-121 win over the Talk n Text Tropang Texters last March 3.

Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio hopes they regain their winning ways with Thorpe taking over from Hamilton.

Thorpe had his first stint playing abroad last year, starring for the Goettingen ball club in Germany where he made a reputation as a show man.

Reports said Thorpe became one of Bundesliga’s popular attractions with his high-flying dunks.

Native of Morristown, New Jersey, Thorpe played high school ball with the Morristown HS before jumping to college ball with Caldwell College then Houston.

He made the All-Morris County selection, All-Iron Hills Conference first team and Iron Division All-Star as a Morristown senior. He led the team to a 24-3 record and won the Morris County MVP honors while averaging 13.5 points, 10 rebounds and four assists in his senior year.

At Caldwell College, an NCAA Division II school in Caldwell, New Jersey, Thorpe immediately made an impact with an average of 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He was named to the All-Metropolitan Division II second team selection.

He later made the All-Region II First Team and All Bi-State Conference First Team selections in junior college where he averaged 18.1 points and 11 rebounds.(PBA)

The Beermen gallantly clawed their way back from the depth of 19-point deficits in the third quarter then went to Dondon Hontiveros for the clutch shots at the finish, completing the come-from-behind victory that kept their unbeaten run in the season-ending tourney.

Hontiveros banged in a booming triple and nailed a free throw in the last 23 seconds to clinch the win that stretched the Beermen’s searing run to five games.

Trailing most of the first three quarters, the Beermen shifted to zone defense to stymie Sta. Lucia’s searing offense.

San Miguel stormed upfront, 69-62, at the end of the third period and hung tough to the finish in dealing Sta. Lucia a second loss against three wins.

Before the game, San Miguel and Sta. Lucia were the hottest teams in the tourney with the Beermen on a four-game romp and the Realtors on a three-game roll.

It appeared the Realtors would keep their run going as they started strong and enjoyed 19-point spreads at 53-34 and 62-34.

But the Beermen won’t give up.

The Beermen held the Realtors scoreless in the last five minutes of the third period to sway the tide in their favor going into the fourth quarter.

San Miguel surged ahead to stay at 95-92 on a three-pointer by Hontiveros with 23 ticks left to play.

Sta. Lucia eventually yielded the game as Joseph Yeo was called for an offensive foul on Jay Washington after the Hontiveros trey.

Hontiveros and Gabe Freeman converted three straight charities in the closing seconds for the final count.

Freeman scored 25 points and got 12 rebounds as against Anthony Johnson’s 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Hontiveros and Olsen Racela added 17 and 15 points, respectively, for the Beermen.

The Realtors dominated the first half, sitting on a 44-34 cushion at the turn with Kelly Williams leading their assault with 13 points.

Second-string forward Norman Gonzales scored eight straight points to highlight a key run opening up a 40-31 lead for Sta. Lucia from a 26-all count.

Marlou Aquino made all of his seven points in the first quarter ending in their favor at 21-19.(PBA)

Lewis just bolstered Garcia’s belief with another mammoth performance leading Rain or Shine to a 107-93 rout of Barangay Ginebra that gave the Elasto Painters a share of second place with the idle Sta. Lucia Realtors Wednesday night in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum.

"We’ve found the missing link in our game in Jai. He’s really a big factor. He plays well and gets to involve everybody. He makes his teammates confident. And for as long as the players enjoy playing with one another, we’ll be there fighting," said Garcia as they notched a third win against one loss.

The Elasto Painters have gone 2-of-2 since Lewis took over from Charles Clark as the team’s reinforcement.

"He’s as it again tonight. He imposed his post presence, opening up the Ginebra defense for our other players to shoot from the outside," said Garcia.

Rain or Shine did hit heavily from afar as it clobbered Barangay Ginebra, dealing the Kings a third straight defeat.

The Kings terribly missed the services of Sunday Salvacion who’s out with a strained left calf muscle sustained in practice Monday. Before Wednesday’s games, Salvacion led all locals in scoring with an average 19.3 points per outing.

The Elasto Painters converted nine three-pointers as they built a 57-37 cushion at halftime and knocked in three consecutive treys as they fended off a Ginebra rally down entering the homestretch.

Donald Dulay rifled in five triples with Rob Wainwright and Ryan Arana adding three apiece, Allan Salangsang two and Sol Mercado, Gabe Norwood, Jireh Ibanes and Lewis one each.

The Kings, on the other hand, struggled with a 37.4 percent shooting as they remained on a slump after a triumphant debut versus the Coca-Cola Tigers.

The Elasto Painters shot 45 percent from the three-point zone and 59.1 percent from the two-point area as they established control early and enjoyed the 20-point lead at halftime.

Rain or Shine hit at 52.4 percent field-goal clip overall as against Ginebra’s atrocious 28.3 percent shooting.

But the Kings get into the groove of things upon their return from the halftime huddle, coming to within four points once in the third quarter.

The Kings kept on coming back from there until their bid was eventually scuttled by the Elasto Painters on three successive treys by Wainwright and Mercado.

Lewis came through with a double-double of 16 points and 17 rebounds with Mercado, Wainwright, Arana and Dulay each adding at least 15 points.

Rod Nealy led all scorers with 32 but was held down to 11 rebounds — eight below his average.(PBA)