Realtors subdue Giants; Beermen, Express press bids

Purefoods missed three field goal attempts and two free throws in the last 29 seconds, enabling Sta. Lucia to escape with a 73-71 victory in their KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City last night.

James Yap, Roger Yap and Kerby Raymundo flubbed their shots from the perimeter while Enrico Villanueva muffed his charities under pressure as the Giants failed to force overtime in a contest they dominated early on.

The Realtors rallied from a 48-57 deficit at the start of the final period and went on to nail their eighth win against the same number of losses.

Purefoods slid to 7-9.

Meanwhile, two teams jockeying for position atop the chart clash with rivals trying to avoid early elimination as action resumes at the Araneta Coliseum today.

San Miguel Beer squares off with Coca-Cola at 5 p.m. while Air21 collides with lowly Red Bull in 7:30 p.m. main game.

The Beermen and the Express are pressing their bids for a slot in the Magic Five while the Tigers and the Bulls are virtually fighting for the last slot in the wildcard round.

San Miguel (9-6) has a chance to draw closer on league-leader Alaska Milk (10-5) while Air21 has a chance to tie Rain or Shine (9-7) at fourth place tonight.

“We’re raring to win this game. Three games to go and everyone is neck and neck (in the race). One lose and you could go three notches down in the standings,” said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

The Beermen are playing minus another key player in Dorian Peña, suspended for one game for a flagrant foul committed in their last game against Red Bull.