Omolon keys Sta. Lucia's first win of the season

MANILA, Philippines – Nelbert Omolon scored all his 24 points in the second half – 15 in the fourth quarter – to help Sta. Lucia pull away in a 117-96 win over Talk N Text Sunday in the KFC-Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. Omolon shot nine-for-16 from the field and pulled down seven rebounds, and Kelly Williams added 25 points – 21 coming in the second half – to go along with 10 rebounds as the Realtors dealt a statement blow to a Tropang Texters' team that was 2-0 prior. The win was Sta. Lucia's first in the tournament. The Realtors, who lost 89-86 to Barangay Ginebra in their season-opener last Wednesday, handed the Ali Peek-less Talk N Text its first loss. "It's always nice to get a first win against a strong team," said SLR coach Boyet Fernandez. "Our defense against (Jimmy) Alapag, (Mac-Mac) Cardona, (Ren-Ren) Ritualo and (Jared) Dillinger really worked and we were able to make our adjustments in the second half." Alapag, who scored 23 points in a 112-101 TNT win over Air21 last Thursday, was limited to 14 and was held scoreless in the fourth quarter. Ritualo was also handcuffed and failed to score in the second and third periods to finish with only eight points. Cardona led Talk N Text with 19 points, but the former Best Player of the Conference awardee committed a game-worst nine turnovers. Overall, Talk N Text had 23 errors to Sta. Lucia's 14. Ryan Reyes registered a double-double (13 points and 10 assists) for the Realtors, who got two other players to score in double figures – Norman Gonzales (14) and Dennis Miranda (11). The defending champion Realtors were only leading by 84-78 when the game tilted drastically toward them. Joseph Yeo split his charities, then Williams fed Dennis Daa for a lay-up before he knocked in a jumper from the left corner to give the Realtors a 90-78 spread with 7:22 left. From a 92-82 count, Omolon scored eight straight to give Sta. Lucia a commanding 100-82 lead with less than five minutes in the game. – GMANews.TV