SMB nips RoS

San Miguel made a conscious effort to neutralize the effectivity of Gabe Norwood and Solomon Mercado as the Beermen stopped the Rain or Shine charge Wednesday, dealing the Elasto Painters an 89-82 defeat in the 208-09 KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

"We tried to gang-defend them (Norwood and Solomon). They're really creating plays for Rain or Shine. They're the newfound strength of the team," said San Miguel coach Siot Tanquingcen.

"Rain or Shine has become like the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. They penetrate then kick out, hurting you with outside shots," Tanquingcen added.

Tanquingcen had only good words for Rain or Shine oddly after his Beermen sent them crashing back to earth.

"Rain or Shine is the team of the future. There's no doubt about their talent. They're young, quick and feisty. They fight you in every single play. It so happens that we still have the deeper bench. May nabunot pa rin kami sa inilaban nila sa amin," Tanquingcen explained.

Dondon Hontiveros, Jay Washington, Lordy Tugade, Mick Pennisi and Olsen Racela stepped up for the Beermen as they withstood the challenge of the Elasto Painters, forcing a three-way tie at third place among the two of them and the Talk n Text Tropang Texters at 2-1.

Rain or Shine suffered its first defeat following back-to-back wins over Air21 and Red Bull, leaving Alaska and Barangay Ginebra as the remaining unbeaten teams in the field.

Solomon, Ryan Arana and Eddie Laure were held down way below their averages in the first two games. The three averaged no less than 13 points each before the San Miguel game where they combined for only 19.

Curiously, Solomon, Norwood and TY Tang, the team's three rookies, were all limited to seven points.

Nevertheless, the Elasto Painters put up a tough fight, riding high on the exploits of Rob Wainwright, Jay-R Reyes and Allan Salangsang as they came charging back from a 19-point deficit to even seize a 69-68 lead entering the last four minutes of play.

Tugade put order back in the Beermen's game with a five-point binge, pushing the team back on top at 74-69.

Racela, Hontiveros and Dorian Pena then delivered the coup de grace as the Beermen made it two in a row after losing their first game of the season to the Alaska Aces.

Washington had his best game in a San Miguel jersey, putting in a double-double performance with 15 points and 12 rebounds. (NC)

The scores:

San Miguel 89 – Hontiveros 17, Washington 15, Tugade 15, Pennisi 15, Racela 11, Custodio 5, Pingris 4, Pena 3, Gonzales 2, Seigle 2, Villanueva 0, Cortez 0.

Rain or Shine 82 – Wainwright 19, Reyes 12, Salangsang 12, Norwood 7, Mercado 7, Tang 7, Laure 7, Arana 5, Dulay 2, Andaya 2, Isip 2, Ibanes 0.

Quarterscores: 18-20, 44-34, 65-51, 89-82.

Belasco, Tigers grab first win by a 2OT

THERE'S a very good reason why Coca-Cola coach Binky Favis calls his main frontliners as his “three bigs.”

With Asi Taulava, Nic Belasco and Mark Clemence Telan showing the way, Coca-Cola escaped with a 103-102 double overtime victory over Purefoods Wednesday to finally break into the win-column of the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Belasco scored 10 of his 20 points in the two extensions, while Taulava and Telan each turned in double-doubles that pointed the Tigers to their first win in three tries.

Mark Macapagal also had a big steal and a charity split that would prove to be the marginal point in the final 10.5 seconds of the game as it gave Coke a 103-99 spread that proved to be enough of a cushion.

Favis' sigh of relief, however, only came after Peter June Simon, who went 5-of-6 from the stripe in Purefoods' first two games, failed to complete a rare four-point play that could have tied the game with only eight-tenths of a second left in the second overtime.

Telan then tipped the miss away and the ball was still loose as the final buzzer sounded.

“My hat's off to our three leaders, our bigs. Nothing would work for us in the first half so we pushed our three big buttons and it did wonders for us,” stated Favis.

“Belasco in the end turned garbage into gold, Telan keeps doing what he had to do and Asi, well, is just being the leader he's always been,” he added.

Despite nursing a sore back, James Yap wound up with a game-high 29 points for Purefoods, which dropped its second straight game and is now tied with its conqueror with a 1-2 win-loss slate.

Both coming off the bench, Enrico Villanueva added 24 points and 13 rebounds and Simon 22.

Kerby Raymundo scored nine of his 12 points in the overtimes but misses by him, Villanueva and James Yap, coupled with crucial turnovers by Roger Yap stifled the Giants' bid to bounce back from a 98-111 loss to San Miguel Beer last Friday.

The win was also Coke's first in their last four Philippine Cup meetings with Purefoods, but this one stands out since the Tigers now have the monkey off their backs.

“We knew right from the start that nothing's gonna be easy, but I never imagined it would be this difficult,” gushed Favis after the game that saw them trail by as much as 46-60 in the third quarter.

“This team has continued working hard through adversity and I've always believed that with hard work comes good things. I hope this is a sign of good times ahead,” added Favis.

Taulava had 20 points with 14 rebounds and eight assists, Belasco added seven boards and three feeds and Telan 14 points, a game-high 16 rebounds and a shotblock.

John Arigo added 15 points in his finest game the last two seasons while Macapagal chipped in 13 points, six rebounds and two steals that were almost offset by a foul called against him while trying to avoid the three-point shooting Simon.

Coca-Cola gamely battled back from a 46-60 deficit and actually had chances to win it outright in regulation and first overtime but bungled its chances.

Telan's reverse followup tied the game at 81 in the last 55 seconds of regulation and the first overtime was forced after his off-balanced follow-up of a Taulava miss fell short.

Taulava's tied the game at 91 with two charities in the final 26 seconds of the first extension, and the score stood after he himself missed the potential game-winner before the buzzer. (NCo)

The scores:

Coca-Cola 103 - Taulava 20, Belasco 20, Arigo 15, Telan 14, Macapagal 13, Cabagnot 10, Buenafe 5, Rizada 5, Calimag 1, Baguion 0, Dimaunahan 0.

Purefoods 102 - Yap J. 29, Villanueva 24, Simon 22, Raymundo 12, Aban 7, Yap R. 7, Bugia 1, Lanete 0, Salvador 0.

Quarterscores: 24-20, 30-40, 52-65, 81-81; 91-91; 103-102.

Cabatu-lead Ginebra wins anew

Junjun Cabatu came out of his shell and made his dad Sonny proud.

The young Cabatu dished out his best game as a pro Sunday night, and Barangay Ginebra continued to buck absence of key players, repulsing Air21, 101-92, in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

Beating title holder Sta. Lucia Wednesday, Ginebra is now on an improbable run playing minus injury-stricken stalwarts Mark Caguioa, Billy Mamaril, Rafi Reavis and Eric Menk.

As if injuries to the four players were not enough, Alex Crisano was hit by a strained calf muscle early in the second half.

Cabatu, however, came to the Kings' rescue, putting in a career-high 23 points -- the bulk of which fueling a mighty charge carrying Ginebra to the win that tied them with Rain or Shine and Alaska Milk atop the field with identical 2-0 win-loss slates.

The Express suffered a third straight loss, remaining winless since beaten by the same team in the Fiesta Conference finals.

"I don't know how we did it. We're just finding ways how to win," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico.

"Surely, Junjun had a big hand on this win. He's a good acquisition since he can shoot from inside and out," Uichico said of the 24-year-old three-year pro -- the first boy of Sonny Cabatu who himself had a stint with Ginebra.

The older Cabatu had a career-best 25 points although his biggest production in his first three years in the pros was only 21.

Junjun, a former La Salle Archer dumped by Alaska after the 2007-08 campaign, went 4-of-7 from the three-point area, 5-of-8 from the two-point land and 1-of-2 from the stripe while also coming through with six rebounds, five assists and two steals along the way.

He pumped in two of his triples in a lethal assault that had the Kings breaking loose from a 90-91 count in the last four minutes of play.

Junthy Valenzuela returned from a one-game layoff, contributing 14 points, three rebounds, two steals and one assist.

Jayjay Helterbrand, Ronald Tubid and Paul Artadi had their own shining moments as Ginebra made a followup on their 89-86 decision over Sta. Lucia.

The Express dominated the game early on, taking a 46-41 halftime lead which they stretched to 62-54 on triples by Arwind Santos and Wynne Arboleda early in the third quarter.

Air21, however, faded out in the fourth as it did in its first two games.

Though playing off-the-bench, Santos paced the Express in the first half with 11 points on 5-of-9 field-goal shooting.

The Air21 starters of Gary David, JR Quinahan, Ranidel de Ocampo and Arboleda combined for 27 points as against the 25 of Helterbrand, Artadi, Crisano and Tubid as the Express took the upper hand at the turn.

The Express performed better in field-goal shooting and rebounding as they surged ahead at halftime after engaging the Gin Kings in seven deadlocks and six lead changes. (NC)

The scores
Ginebra 101 -- Cabatu 23, Helterbrand 21, Valenzuela 14, Tubid 13, Artadi 11, Wilson 6, Crisano 6, Pacana 4, Holper 2, Escalona 1, Salvacion 0.

Air21 92 -- Santos 19, De Ocampo 15, Arboleda 12, David 11, Se 10, Quinahan 8, Billones 7, Intal 4, Cruz 3, Canaleta 3, Kramer 0.

Quarterscores: 22-20, 41-46, 76-77, 101-92

SLR won over TNT

STA. Lucia Realty head coach Boyet Fernandez has a very good reason for making “Look for Kelly (Williams)” as his halftime order to his players.

With the reigning MVP leading the way, the rest of the defending champions followed and they had little trouble in fashioning out a runaway 117-96 win over erstwhile unbeaten co-leader Talk 'N Text Sunday in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

The three-year pro scored 21 of his game-high 25 points in the second half, fuelling the Realtors' inexorable charge over the Tropang Texters, who had seemed invincible in notching convincing wins in their first two games.

“Even with Kelly struggling in the first half, I still told my players to look for him,” related Fernandez of his top player, who only shot 2-of-8 from the field in the first 24 minutes of play, one of his rare conversions a long jumper that was initially ruled as a three.

“I told them to focus on Kelly because as soon as he starts hitting his shots, then their defense has to collapse on him and it will free up our other guys.”

Williams also finished with 10 rebounds and five assists and drew immense support from his teammates, led by Nelbert Omolon's 24 points and seven rebounds, as the Realtors bounced back from a sorry 86-89 loss to Barangay Ginebra last Wednesday.

Mark Cardona had 19 points to lead TNT, which was thrown into defensive confusion in the face of SLR's Williams-led assault.

“It's nice to get a win against a very strong team like Talk 'N Text,” said Fernandez. “I think our defensive adjustment on their wings was the key.”

Fernandez was referring to the likes of Tropang Texters shooters Cardona, Jimmy Alapag, Renren Ritualo and rookie Jared Dillinger, who were left scraping for points in the face of the Realtors' quick-switching defense.

In contrast, four other SLR players scored in double figures, including Joseph Yeo, who notched 18 points, and Ryan Reyes, who scored his second straight double-double like Williams with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Talk 'N Text head coach Chot Reyes' charges actually scored more three-point shots 11-7, but six of those came in the first half, the same output by the Realtors in the second half.

Also, the Realtors' triples came at the more opportune times, like that by Yeo, which shattered the last deadlock at 63 and sparked a 12-4 run that gave them an eight-point lead going into the fourth period.

Clearly, however, it was Williams who ignited SLR's full resurgence with 12 third quarter points before ceding the stellar role to Omolon in the fourth quarter that had the latter scoring more than half of the entire TNT output of 29 points in the period with 15.

By then the tide was clearly in SLR's favor as TNT's shooters were often stifled and the team's sporadic points came mostly from inside the paint.

The Realtors, meanwhile, interspersed its set offense with some free-flowing stretches, resulting in several sprees that gave them as much as two 23-point leads, the last at 109-86, only 1:09 left.

“It was a matter of spacing and limiting their transition plays. But limiting their wingmen really helped us,” said Fernandez. (NCo)

The scores:

Sta. Lucia 117 - Williams 25, Omolon 24, Yeo 18, Gonzales 14, Reyes 13, Miranda 11, Espino 8, Daa 2, Aquino 2, Gregorio 0, Mendoza 0.

Talk ‘N Text 96 - Cardona 19, Castro 14, Alapag 14, Dillnger 11, Carey 10, Allado 10, Ritualo 8, De Ocampo 8, Aljamal 2, Reyes 0, Lao 0.

Quarterscores: 18-14, 36-37, 75-67, 117-96.

Aces clobbers Tigers in Victorias City

Victorias City, Negros Occidental – Sonny Thoss may have gotten the shorter end of the numbers in his duel with Asi Taulava, but he and the Alaska Aces had the last laugh.

The 6-foot-9 center made the biggest offensive plays of the night as the Aces outlasted the Coca-Cola Tigers, 69-62, down the stretch Saturday in front of a capacity crowd at the Victorias City Sports and Amusement Center here.

With only a point separating the two teams,Thoss scored on a putback off a Tony de la Cruz miss with 39 seconds remaining then sank two free throws after Coke guard Alex Cabagnot clanged his 3-point tying attempt as Alaska stretched the lead to 67-62 en route to its second straight win in the 2008-09 KFC PBA Philippine Cup.

Thoss – helpless against Taulava, who asserted his size and bulk in the lane – finished with 11 points, grabbed eight rebounds and had three blocks. L.A. Tenorio also had 11 points, John Ferriols added 9 and Reynel Hugnatan and Jefferey Cariaso contributed 8 apiece for the Aces, who offset their 23 turnovers with strong rebounding and patience down the stretch.

It was a tough win for the Aces, who picked up their pace early but turned somewhat dysfunctional in the middle quarters.

“Coke did a good job defending us. They did a good job disrupting the rhythm of our triangle,” offered Alaska coach Tim Cone in explaining their struggling effort.

Certainly, the so-so performance of Alaska star guard and two-time MVP Willie Miller also contributed to Alaska’s hot-and-cold showing.

Miller managed just three points on 1-of-10 shooting and committed three turnovers in 35 minutes of action.

Alaska dominated the first half and led by as many as 13, 24-11, on a 3-pointer by Joe Devance early in the second quarter.

But the Tigers kept battling and in fact seized control in the third. After Mark Macapagal opened the second half with a three, Taulava, who repeatedly scored on semi-hook shots in the lane as if Thoss never existed, poured 10 straight points to put Coca-Cola ahead, 41-37.

Taulava led all scorers with 21 and had nine rebounds. Macapagal chipped in nine points and Nick Belasco added eight for the Tigers, who absorbed their second defeat in a row.

Coke led 51-48 after three quarters, but Alaska scored the first seven points of the fourth to pull ahead by four.

Taulava scored four points and Macapagal knocked in another three to spark a 9-3 run that put the Tigers back on top, 60-58, with 7:16 left.

Both teams went scoreless in the next 1:30 minutes before Miller completed a three point play to make it 61-60 with 5:46 remaining. (DBC)

The scores:

Alaska 69 – Thoss 11, Tenorio 11, Ferriols 9, Hugnatan 8, Cariaso 8, Fonacier 7, Devance 6, Miller 3, Sotto 0.

Coca-Cola 62 – Taulava 21, Macapagal 9, Belasco 8, Cabagnot 6, Telan 6, Arigo 5, Buenafe 5, Rizada 2, Dimaunahan 0, Baguion 0.

Quarters: 19-9; 31-28; 48-51; 69-62.

Beermen won over Giants

San Miguel Beer took to heart its sorry loss to Alaska Milk Sunday, notching its first win in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup on a 111-98 walloping of Purefoods Friday night at the Astrodome.

The Beermen came out strong and sustained tremendous intensity and energy almost throughout for the big rout making up for their harrowing fold-up against the Aces.

Coach Siot Tanquingcen and his boys were all business after blowing away what had looked a won game against Alaska. The Beermen led by as many as 19 points then only to sputter at the finish and end up losers at 84-85.

The Giants, on the other hand, slumped back to earth after a 77-73 escape act versus the Red Bull Barakos Wednesday.

"We caught them a little flat. They came out sluggish after an uphill battle in their first game," said Tanquingcen.

For all intents and purposes, the game was over right at the half.

The Beermen pummeled and pounded the shell-shocked Giants in the first two quarters, erecting a 57-27 cushion at halftime.

So awful were the Giants in the first half, committing 18 turnovers from which the Beermen produced 16 points.

James Yap and Kerby Raymundo hit their strides in the third quarter but the Beermen had an answer on each of their exploits.

Olsen Racela was three-of-three from the three-point area with Dondon Hontiveros, Jay Washington and Mike Cortez combining for four treys as San Miguel even padded the lead to 85-46 towards the end of the quarter.

The Giants came a bit close as the Beermen lowered down their guards at the finish marred by a confrontation between James Yap and Jay Washington.

Disgusted, Purefoods team manager Alvin Patrimonio and governor Rene Pardo joined the picture, throwing a mouthful at Washington who started it all on a hard bump on Yap.

Washington sat down the final minute after having piled up 14 points, eight rebounds and six blocks in 35 minutes of action.

The Beermen played a well-balanced game with each one having significant contribution.

Danny Seigle had the lowest point production among the Beermen with four but he also put up three rebounds and two assists.

"We played well in the first half pero nawala ang consistency in the second half. We could have played better," said Tanquingcen.

"We have still so many things to work on. Hopefully, we build on this win. We're up against a team (Rain or Shine) playing well in our next game. I'm impressed with them. Ang taas ng morale nila," Tanquingcen added.

The scores

San Miguel 111 -- Hontiveros 15, Washington 14, Racela 13, Custodio 10, Tugade 10, Pena 10, Pennisi 9, Pingris 8, Gonzales 7, Villanueva 6, Cortez 5, Seigle 4.

Purefoods 98 -- Yap 21, Simon 19, Raymundo 19, Lanete 10, Bugia 7, Salvador 6, Belga 4, Alonzo 4, Aban 3, Villanueva 3, Robinson 2, Yap R. 0.

Quarterscores: 26-12, 57-27, 88-57, 111-98

RoS beats Red Bull for the first time; grabs early lead

THE future may not be so distant for Rain or Shine, as most are prone to think.

Not with its rookies proving they could deliver the goods sooner than expected. And with their team veterans chipping in their ample share, the Elasto Painters hurdled erstwhile perennial nemesis Red Bull, 96-90, Friday in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Tyrone Tang helped Rain or Shine stave off Red Bull's initial threat before Gabe Norwood and Solomon Mercado each hit a triple at crunch-time to finally quash the danger and prop the Elasto Painters over a Barakos team they have not beaten before.

More important, Rain or Shine notched a fitting follow-up to its 120-102 win over Air21 last Sunday and put the usual tail-ender in a very unfamiliar position of co-leader with idle Talk ‘N Text.

“For our rookies to show such composure in the last quarter, the way they played, is really something. Hats off talaga ako sa kanila.” said winning head coach Caloy Garcia, whose charges erected as much as a 51-27 lead, but found themselves with a big fight in their hands in the crucial fourth quarter.

“We almost had our let-down, but our rookies bailed us out, gave us this morale-boosting win,” added Garcia whose team is in on top of the team standings for the first time in franchise history.

Ryan Arana wound up with a team-high 15 points with rookie Tang, Jay-R Reyes and veteran Rob Wainwright chipping in 13 points each.

But it was Mercado and Norwood who shone the most. Both finished with 11 points with the latter, this year’s top overall Draft pick, adding a team-high 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

They also came up with the back-breaking triples that jacked Rain or Shine's lead to 93-86 that proved safe enough going into the last 1:20 of play.

Aside from losing to the Asian Coatings franchise for the first time, Red Bull also fell to a 0-2 win-loss start for the first time since the 2004-05 edition of the tournament, when it wound up dead-last.

The Barakos suffered an initial 73-77 loss to Purefoods last Wednesday when they blew a 16-point third quarter lead, but the circumstances were different Sunday as the Photokina franchise rallied back from a 27-51 second quarter deficit.

By going 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, Celino Cruz scored all of his team-high 17 points in the fourth, almost single-handedly leading the Barakos back to within 74-76.

Tang, a second round pick and 12th overall in this year’s Draft, hit back-to-back triples to make it a safer 85-79 count, but Cruz's last trey moved the Barakos within 84-87 before the left-handed playmaker was shut down.

Before leaving the game for good due to a suspected sprain with 5:15 left in the third period, Wainwright scored 13 points in the second canto anchored on a perfect 5-of-5 field shooting, including three from trifecta land.

His last triple gave Rain or Shine its 51-27 spread before Red Bull trimmed it to 53-32 at the half and 70-55 going into the fourth. (NCo)

The scores:

Rain or Shine 96 - Arana 15, Tang 13, Reyes 13, Wainwright 13, Norwood 11, Mercado 11, Salangsang 8, Laure 6, Isip 4, Ibanes 2.

Red Bull 90 - Cruz 17, Baguio 15, Rodriguez 14, Duncil 12, Hubalde 12, Espinas 11, Chan 3, Najorda 2, Sharma 2, Alvarez 2, Hrabak 0.

Quarterscores: 21-14, 53-32, 70-59, 96-90.

Tropang Texters won over depleted Air21

Talk N Text's resiliency was put to test again Thursday night against the Air21 Express, but just like they did in their season opener Saturday, the Tropang Texters managed to come out on top.

A huge fourth quarter saved the Tropang Texters from an embarrassing defeat and clinched their second straight win in the 2008-09 KFC PBA Philippine Cup via a 112-101 romp over a heavily depleted opponent.

Rookie Jared Dillinger, the No.2 overall draft pick, and star guard Jimmy Alapag scored 23 points apiece to spark TNT's fourth quarter salvo.

Mark Cardona poured in 22 points, Harvey Carey contributed 16 and Yancy de Ocampo had 11 for Talk n Text, which fell behind by 15 points in the second quarter.

Dillinger, who sat out the fourth quarter of their 98-97 win over Coca-Cola Saturday, stayed healthy when TNT needed him most and his free throw with 6:01 to play in the fourth put the Tropang Texters ahead to stay.

It was another tough loss for the Express, who dominated the game for three quarters but ran out of steam in the fourth quarter without four of their key players. The loss was the second in as many games for the team that finished runner-up in the Fiesta Conference.

Arwind Santos and Homer Se were serving their one game suspension, Doug Kramer got married and teammate JC Intal stood as his sponsor.

But even without them, the Express appeared good enough to handle the Tropang Texters.

They opened the game with a 12-9 run and stretched the lead to 12 points on three consecutive threes by Wynne Arboleda and Egay Billiones.

Without their two big men, the Express found themselves being mugged off the boards by the Tropang Texters, 65-55.

Gary David scored 23 points, including four straight that gave Air21 the biggest lead of the game, 38-23, five minutes into the second period.

But TNT found its groove in the second quarter and slowly clawed its way back before turning the game around by outscoring Air21, 32-12, in the fourth. (DBC)

The scores:

TNT 112 – Dillinger 23, Alapag 23, Cardona 22, Carey 16, De Ocampo 11, Castro 9, Allado 4, Reyes 2, Ritualo 2.

Air21 101 – David 23, Quinahan 15, Arboleda 15, De Ocampo 14, Billones 13, Canaleta 11, Cruz 6, Sta. Maria 0.

Quarters: 16-21; 40-52; 80-89; 112-101.

Ginebra wins first outing over defending champs Realtors

Barangay Ginebra picked up from where it left off last season, starting its campaign in the KFC PBA Philippine Cup with an 89-86 decision over tournament ruler Sta. Lucia Realty Wednesday night at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Kings, the Fiesta Cup winners, showed up the Realtors in an exciting duel of champions, coming from behind to win the game despite a lineup sans injured key players Mark Caguioa, Junthy Valenzuela, Rafi Reavis and Billy Mamaril.

Jayjay Helterbrand, the Best Player in the recent import-reinforced tourney, led the way for the Kings as he made 21 of his 26 points in the final half.

The spitfirish guard scattered 12 in the third fueling a mighty charge that got the Kings into the game after trailing by 10 points, 35-45, at the half.

Junjun Cabatu, Paul Artadi and Sunday Salvacion put in their shares at the finish as Ginebra completed the stirring come-from-behind victory to get a share of early league leadership with Talk n Text, Rain or Shine, Alaska and Purefoods.

"Sta. Lucia dominated the game and we just got the lead at the right time," said Ginebra coach Jong Uichico, trying to downplay the impact of their victory.

"But of course we wanted to win our first game to get our confidence high while setting out in this tourney minus four key players," Uichico added. "We want to be as consistent as possible until our lineup gets completed."

The Kings overcame a faltering start as they capitalized on crucial errors by the Realtors at endgame.

Back-to-back errors by Dennis Espino had the Kings scoring four free throws on their offensive end to take an 87-81 lead with 34 seconds to go.

The Realtors still closed in at 86-88 on a five-point binge by Paolo Mendoza coming off the bench.

After Salvacion made it 89-86 on a split from the stripe, the Realtors eventually lost the contest with Kelly Williams fumbling a long Sta. Lucia throw-in while looking for a possible quick three-pointer.

Paul Artadi went 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, 4-of-6 from the two-point zone and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to match his career-high 18 points.

"Meron pang hangover nung Fiesta Conference finals. Mataas pa rin ang kumpiyansa ko," said Artadi, picking up the slack on the ouster of Helterbrand in Game Two of the recent finale against the Air21 Express.

Kelly Williams and Ryan Reyes, the MVP winner and Rookie of the Year awardee last campaign, combined for 33 points, 26 rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Realtors.

The Sta. Lucia starters outclassed their Ginebra counterparts in the first half, delivering the bulk of the numbers as the Realtors took a 45-35 lead at turn.

Dennis Espino and Reyes led the way for the team with the former scoring 12 points and the latter producing eight points, eight rebounds and three steals.

Denok Mendoza was scoreless but quarterbacked well a running game giving Sta. Lucia a 9-2 edge in fastbreak points. (NC)

The scores:

Ginebra 89 -- Helterbrand 26, Artadi 18, Salvacion 14, Cabatu 8, Pacana 6, Holper 6, Menk 4, Tubid 3, Wilson 2, Crisano 2, Aquino 0, Escalona 0.

Sta. Lucia 86 -- Reyes 17, Williams 16, Espino 16, Omolon 8, Coronel 6, Gonzales 6, Mendoza 5, Miranda 4, Yeo 3, Aquino 3, Daa 2, Gregorio 0.

Quarterscores: 21-25, 35-45, 65-66, 89-86

Purefoods beat surprising Barakos

Kerby Raymundo and Rico Villanueva made their shots when it mattered most as the Purefoods TJ Giants survived a tough challenge from the Red Bull Barakos, 77-73, Wednesday night in the KFC-PBA Philippine Cup at the Araneta Coliseum.

With top gunner James Yap unable to find his offensive rhythm, Raymundo took care of business, pouring 11 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter to spark a fiery charge by the Giants, who fell behind by many as 16 points early in the third quarter.

The Giants still trailed 60-67 with 9:35 left to play but turned the game around with a 15-2 run starring Raymund and Villanueva, whose back-to-back baskets gave Purefoods the lead for the first time, 72-69. Raymundo had nine points in that run, ending it with a shotclock-beating fadeaway jumper and a free throw later to seal the victory.

"It's a tough win. Red Bull may have lost their stars but for as long as (head coach) Yeng (Guiao) is there that team remains dangerous," said Purefoods mentor Ryan Gregorio, who dug deep into his bench by rotating 12 players.

Gregorio admitted they took the Barakos lightly in the early going and nearly paid dearly for it had it not been for his two star big men finding their groove when things looked bleak.

Raymundo, who led all scorers, also had 15 rebounds while Villanueva tallied 15 points and 11 boards to also finish with a double-double.

Peter Jun Simon scored 18 points including 13 in the third quarter to keep the Giants in the game. What's surprising about the Giants victory was that they only had five assists, a league all-time record for a winning team.

With Red Bull rebuilding around a cast of role players, the Barakos are, according to experts, once again never expected to become a major contender this conference.

That belief nearly cost the Giants, who had to summon their championship experience to overcome an impressive performance by the Barakos.

Red Bull, which, however, has been to the Final Four in the last seven conferences despite losing its big-named stars over the last two seasons, opened the game with a 12-2 run and kept the Giants, last year’s Philippine Cup losing finalist, under siege for most part of the game.

The Barakos posted the game's biggest lead at 47-31 early in the third but they sputtered in the closing minutes and allowed a golden opportunity to slip away.

Gabby Espinas led Red Bull with a career-high 18 points but had five turnovers, three in the closing minutes as the Barakos lost control. Cyrus Baguio contributed 10 points but he was the only other Barako in double figure. Last year’s Most Improved Player also didn’t have any field goal attempt in the second half where he played for just 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, Talk N' Text tries to extend its luck against undermanned Air21 in their 6 o'clock encounter scheduled Thursday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig City.

The Tropang Texters opened their campaign with a freakish 98-97 victory against Coca-Cola last Saturday and are expected to easily hurdle the challenge of the Express, who will be without Arwind Santos and Homer Se.

The two Express are serving a one-game suspension for their rough plays in their 120-102 defeat to Rain or Shine last Sunday (DBC).

The scores:

Purefoods 77 - Raymundo 23, Simon 18, Villanueva 15, Yap R. 9, Yap J. 8, Bugia 2, Robinson 2, Belga 0, Alonzo 0, Lanete 0, Aban 0, Salvador 0.

Red Bull 73 - Espinas 18, Baguio 10, Duncil 9, Najorda 9, Cruz 7, Rodriguez 6, Chan 5, Hubalde 5, Alvarez 4, Ybanez 0, Hrabak 0.