RANIDEL De Ocampo and Harvey Carey took turns hitting key baskets down the stretch to carry Talk ‘N Text to a pulsating 100-96 overtime win over defending champion Purefoods Star in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Carey finished with just nine points, but his back-to-back baskets entering the last two minutes of extra time gave the Texters a 96-92 lead in a game they looked to have lost late in regulation.

On the other hand, De Ocampo added a turnaround jumper and grabbed the rebound after Purefoods missed three successive attempts at a game-tying basket, setting the stage for veteran guard Jimmy Alapag's clinching free throws with three seconds left.

“It’s always tough to play Purefoods. They don’t change their game maski ano nangyayari sa laro, whether they are down or up,” said Talk ‘N Text coach Jong Uichico after the team's third win in a row.

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"Kung dikdikan ang laro, they keep their poise and discipline and they play defense also," Uichico added.

De Ocampo finished with a team-high 18 points while getting the better of Gilas Pilipinas teammate Marc Pingris in a fierce endgame duel as Talk 'N Text improved to 7-3 for solo fourth spot.

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Purefoods absorbed its second straight defeat and fell to 5-5, jeopardizing its bid for a Top 6 place and a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

For Purefoods Star to enter the Top 6, the Hotshots must beat Barako Bull in a road game in Dipolog City on Saturday and hope that sister team Ginebra beats Rain or Shine the following day. Devance led the Hotshots with 22, Marc Pingris had a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds, while James Yap added 18.

The scores:

Talk N Text 100 - Washington 18, De Ocampo 18, Reyes 14, Castro 13, Carey 9, Alas 8, Rob Reyes 8, Alapag 5, Fonacier 4, Rosser 3, Aban 0.

Purefoods 96 - Devance 22, Pingris 21, Yap 18, Simon 15, Barroca 11, Mallari 5, Taha 2, Maliksi 2, Reavis 0.

Quarterscores: 22-22; 39-42; 67-64; 88-88; 100-96