Sta. Lucia barges into win column via 97-87 win over Talk ‘N Text

This time there is no stopping the Sta. Lucia Realtors from entering the win column. The Realtors posted a big lead in the first half and held off a late rally by the Talk ‘N Text Phone Pals to get their first win via a 97-87 decision in the 2007-2008 Smart PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum on Sunday. Veteran center Marlou Aquino was named best player after he scored 18 points on 8/13 shooting plus six rebounds to upset the Pals who are one of the favorites to win the tourney. The win thus improved the Realtors’s win-loss record to 1-2, in a five-team tie for the last spot that includes Welcoat, Barangay Ginebra, Coca-Cola and Alaska. The loss, meanwhile, dropped the win-loss record of the Pals to 2-2, good for third place behind the pacesetting Purefoods Chunky Cornbeef (3-0) and the Magnolia Beverage Masters (3-1). The Realtors of head coach Boyet Fernandez led from start to finish never giving the Pals the chance to steal the game though their were some moments in the third and fourth periods that they can hurdle the task. Sta. Lucia had a big 14 point advantage going to the fourth and final period and even increased their lead to 23 points at 85-62 when “Mighty Mouse" Jimmy Alapag, who scored a team high 24 points, joined hands guard Egay Billiones and big men Yancy de Ocampo and Jay Washington in a 16-0 run to cut the deficit to just seven points, 85-78, with under two minutes left in the ball game. However, big man Gilbert Omolon joined hands with athletic forward Kelly Williams and hot-shot guard Joseph Yeo in the scoring binge to close the game with a 12-9 to prevent another collapse for the Realtors and get their first win in the tourney. What compounded the Pals’ woes in the fourth quarter was their seven misses in the free throw line that help the Realtors’s hold on to the lead. Gunner Ren-Ren Ritualo was a non-factor for the game as he only scored five points. Big man Asi Taulava could also not get his game going and had to ride the bench for most minutes of the second half. Taking up the scoring cudgels for the Pals were Mac-Mac Cardona and Washington who scored 14 points and 19 points, respectively. The biggest lead of Sta. Lucia was registered in the early minutes of the second quarter when it built a commanding 25-point lead at 43-18. The Pals, who had a 111-102 victory over defending champion Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings last Wednesday, had a hard time scoring in the first half of play largely because of Sta. Lucia’s stifling defense that resulted in numerous turnovers. Talk ‘N Text, currently the Number 1 team in scoring in the PBA, was shut down right in the first quarter as the team only scoring 16 points compared to the Realtors 33 big points. Sta. Lucia led at the half with a score of 52-35. Quarterscores: Sta. Lucia vs Talk ‘N Text: 33-16, 52-35, 70-56, 97-87 - GMANews.TV