Realtors trip Beermen for win No. 2

Sta. Lucia struggled for only four points in the last seven minutes of the game but came through with crucial defensive stops at endgame as the Realtors stopped the injury-plagued San Miguel Beermen, 98-95, for a second straight win in the Talk n Text PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum last night.

Fil-Am players Kelly Williams and Alex Cabagnot lost their shooting touch in the fourth quarter but leaned on their tough defense in the closing seconds, helping the Realtors book a second successive victory following a 96-88 whipping of the Air21 Express last Friday.

"I think we played well most of the way but relaxed a bit towards the end. But we showed heart at crunch time to preserve the win," said Sta. Lucia coach Alfrancis Chua.

"Without Danny Seigle, we expected them to trap (in defense). They did but I think we lost only one possession," Chua added.

Realtors gamely defused the Beermen’s pressure defense, but in the process ran into an offensive spell, enabling the Beermen to get back into the game after falling behind by 17 points thrice early in the contest.

The Beermen came within one play of completing a big come-from-behind win but bungled the attempt, staying winless in two starts in the season.

With San Miguel down by just one at 95-96 with eight seconds to go, Christian Calaguio couldn’t shake off Williams and fumbled Gabby Espinas’ side-court inbound pass.

Dennis Espino, fouled by Willy Wilson in the ensuing play, sank his charities to make it 98-95.

With one final chance to send the game into overtime, the Beermen again went to Calaguio whose three-point attempt was foiled by Cabagnot, one of 12 blocked shots pulled off by the Realtors.

Offensively, sophomore forward Cesar Catli and veteran guard Paolo Mendoza shone brightest for the Realtors with each one firing four three-pointers and finishing with a total of 16 points.

Curiously, Catli, a 6-foot-2 wingman out of Far Eastern U, converted six straight field-goal attempts after missing his first three.

The Realtors had their last 17-point spread at 94-77 before blowing cold, scoring only four points all courtesy of Espino in the last seven minutes.

Calaguio presided over San Miguel’s searing attack on the other end of the court, rifling in three treys in an 18-2 romp that pushed the Beermen within one with still 29.6 seconds left to play.

Aris Dimaunahan failed to complete what could have been a game-tying four-point play in the closing seconds, allowing his former team Barangay Ginebra to escape with a 114-113 thriller over Air21 in the second game.

"Maganda na rin na na-push ang team. It gave us something to think about. Positive pa rin ito sa amin," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.