Bulls run down weary Realtors

Red Bull rediscovered its fluid-motion game in its third outing after a three-week rest, blowing by Sta. Lucia Realty, 114-96, for a two-game-to-one lead in their Talk n Text PBA Philippine Cup best-of-five quarterfinals showdown at the Ynares Center last night.

The Bulls outclassed a Sta. Lucia side which, on the other hand, appeared to be starting to feel the rigors of a long haul.

"We’ve gained a twice-to-beat advantage in the series. We’ll not let this slip away," said Red Bull coach Yeng Guiao after the contest.

"We’ve built the momentum and that made me very optimistic. We’ll go for it in Game Four to have a break before playing in the semifinals," Guiao added.

The Bulls regained cohesion and fluidity in their game, outplaying the Realtors with six scoring at least 11 points. The team finished with its biggest output this season.

Rookie guard Magnum Membrere had his breakout game in the pros, banging in 11, including back-to-back treys that touched off a decisive Red Bull run in the third quarter.

Slotman Asi Taulava and gunners Renren Ritualo and Macmac Cardona stepped up in the absence of pointguard Jimmy Alapag as Talk n Text made it two in a row over Purefoods, 102-78, to move within a win of a semifinal duel with Barangay Ginebra.

"I thought we were not aggressive enough in the first half. We talked about it at halftime and we came up with a great second half," said Talk n Text coach Derrick Pumaren.