The Realtors muffed seven charities in the fourth quarter and went without a basket in nearly five minutes at endgame as they suffered a three-game skid in the All-Filipino tourney.
Niño Canaleta and Wynne Arboleda pounced on the Realtors’ endgame collapse, leading the Express to their third win against four defeats.
Yancy de Ocampo came up with a huge double-double game with 20 points and 22 rebounds even as Canaleta and Arboleda teamed up in a vicious 10-0 run which the Express used to break away from a tight game.
Coming within two at 97-99 on a free throw by Nelbert Omolon, the Realtors faded away and eventually yielded the game as they only scored a basket again – also courtesy of Omolon – with just seven ticks left in the clock.
Canaleta and Arboleda fired back-to-back baskets as the Express finished off the Realtors at 107-97 with a minute left in the game.
Trailing the entire first three quarters, the Realtors had their first taste of the lead at 87-86 on a 5-0 opening binge by Paolo Mendoza and Omolon in the payoff period.
They dragged the Express in a nip-and-tuck battle in the next six minutes only to self-destruct in the homestretch.
Meanwhile, action shifts back at the Araneta Coliseum with San Miguel Beer seeking the solo lead when it goes up against Talk n Text in the 6:30 p.m. main game.
Barangay Ginebra and Alaska Milk dispute solo fourth place, slugging it out in the 4:10 p.m. curtain-raiser.
The Beermen and the Kings are among the teams trying a new system in their game and they’re not in a hurry to get the desired result. For coaches Jong Uichico and Siot Tanquingcen, it’s a big bonus where their respective teams stand at the moment.
"While trying new things, bad things are bound to happen at the start," said Tanquingcen.
"I can’t tell what our new strategy is. It’s for our opponents to find out. We just feel that it’s about time we change the system after that semifinal loss last conference," Tanquingcen added.
The Kings are fresh from breaking a three-game losing spell with a pulsating 84-81 win over the Coca-Cola Tigers Friday.
The Beermen, meanwhile, seem to have built up a momentum of sort following back-to-back victories over the Red Bull Barakos and the Sta. Lucia Realtors. — Nelson Beltran