PBA Fiesta Conference: Air21 defeats Sta. Lucia, 101-94

Air21 spoiled the head coaching debut of Boyet Fernandez, carving out a come-from-behind 101-94 win over the Sta. Lucia Realtors in the first game of a double-header in the Talk ‘N Text-PBA Fiesta Conference Tuesday night at the Araneta Coliseum. The Express, deeply motivated to beat the Realtors, unleashed their fury in the fourth quarter with Gary David anchoring the decisive charge that denied Fernandez a memorable head coaching debut. David shot 9-of-20 from the field to lead all scorers with 25 points, including 12 in the final period as the Express outscored the Realtors, 32-19. “The problem confronting us right now is not the lack of talent but how to motivate those who were left behind,” said Air 21 coach Bo Perasol, who lost scoring forward Ranidel de Ocampo to the national team. “This is a sort of new beginning for us so we should make the best we could. I’m glad the guys stepped up when we needed to deliver,” Perasol added. Perasol said the victory also was sweet revenge against the team that denied the Express a spot in the quarterfinals last conference. Air21 lost in overtime 121-118 to Sta. Lucia last January 12 in a sudden-death playoff for the last quarterfinal berth in the previous conference. Shawn Daniels scored 13 points and had 17 rebounds, rookie Arwind Santos added 12 points and two blocks, and guard Wynne Arboleda contributed 12 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists for the Express, who capitalized on Sta. Lucia’s poor shooting from the line. Under their erstwhile back-up point guard then later assistant coach who took over from Alfrancis Chua prior to the start of the conference, the Realtors looked good in the early going. They started strong and led by as many as 14 points in the first half before settling for a 46-36 advantage at lemon time. “We shot poorly in the first half but I told the boys to just keep on shooting because sooner or later their shots will fall,” Perasol said. Air21 shot just 27 percent in the first half compared to Sta. Lucia’s 41 percent. The Express did found their touch in the third quarter which saw them shooting 60 percent (15-of-25) from the field but it wasn’t enough to grab the lead the from the Realtors, who made 50 percent of their shots. After Santos pulled the Express within 57-62 midway in the third, Rock Winston completed a three-point play before Kenneth Duremdes knocked in back-to-back treys as the Realtors stretched the lead to 71-57, one of their many 14-point leads in the game. Winston showed the way for the Realtors with 18 points on a 7-of-16 shooting and showed a lot of movement although his ability to take control of the game remained suspect. Duremdes scored 15 points, Dennis Espino added 14, and Marlou Aquino had 11 for the Realtors, whose poor shooting from the stripe contributed to the loss. Sta. Lucia made only 12 of their 28 free-throws. Sta. Lucia held an 89-84 lead with under six minutes to play. But they missed their next three shots and committed three successive turnovers that led to a 6-0 run and a 90-89 lead for the Express with 2:58 remaining. A three-pointer by Cesar Catli put the Realtors back in front, but Santos scored two crucial baskets and Homer Se completed an assist by David underneath as Air21 took the lead for good 96-92 with 1:21 to go. Meanwhile, the Talk 'N Text Phone Pals try to get its victory of the tournament against the Alaska Aces in the second game. The scores: Air21 (101) – David 25, Daniels 13, Santos 12, Arboleda 12, Dimaunahan 11, Telan 11, Canaleta 9, Se 8, Andaya 0, Bernardo 0, Torion 0 Sta. Lucia (94) – Winston 18, Duremdes 15, Espino 14, Aquino 11, Williams 10, Cabagnot 6, Calimag 6, Gonzales 5, Mendoza 4, Catli 3, Isip 2, Bughao 0, Omolon 0