James, Aquino and Espino combined for 53 points and 32 rebounds as the Realtors firmed up their hold of the lead in Group A on a third win in four starts. The Beermen remained winless in five outings.
Aquino and Espino struck hard underneath in a decisive run that had the Realtors taking a four-point lead at 72-68 with 8.1 seconds left to play.
A triple by Dondon Hontiveros cut Sta. Lucia’s deficit to three before James pegged the count at 74-71 with two charities off a desperation foul by Hontiveros himself with 3.9 seconds left.
It will be Talk n Text versus Shell and Red Bull Barako against Alaska Milk at the resumption of play at the Astrodome today. In between these games, FedEx’s Gherome Ejercito and Sta. Lucia’s Francis Adriano clash in the King of the Court one-on-one competition.
Coach Ariel Vanguardia will be back on the Talk n Text bench after serving out a five-game suspension as a result of their controversial game with Red Bull Barako in the Invitational Cup. Coach Virgil Villavicencio, however, will still call the shots for the Phone Pals as decided upon by the team management. – Nelson Beltran