Sta. Lucia Realty kept on fighting back from huge deficits and outmaneuvered Shell in a tight finish for a 90-85 win in the Gran Matador PBA Philippine Cup at the Capiz Gymnasium.
Four Realtors, led by Kenneth Duremdes with 25 points, scored in double figures as they came up with a follow-up on their 93-92 decision over the Purefoods Hotdogs Wednesday at the Araneta Coliseum.
But despite back-to-back victories, the Realtors remained in the cellar, closing the first half of their 18-game qualification-round schedule with three wins against six defeats.
The Turbochargers missed a shot at joint leadership with the San Miguel Beermen and finished the first half of the qualifications at 5-4.
Shell hastened its downfall with Wesley Wilson fouling out with 1:57 to play and Ronald Tubid going 1-of-3 from the stripe with the team down by three in the last seven seconds.
There’s also Shell assistant coach Bogs Adonardo yielding a charity on a technical foul he incurred with 58 seconds to go.
The Realtors pounced on all these good breaks to preserve a remarkable performance that had the team repeatedly charging back from double-digit deficits.
Shell was still enjoying a five-point lead when Ryan Fletcher strung up six straight points as Sta. Lucia took the lead, 81-80 with 3:13 left in the clock.
Fletcher finished with 18 with the bulk of his output he made in the final half.
Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra and Talk n Text, the title protagonists in the recent Philippine Cup, renew their brewing rivalry at the resumption of action at the Araneta Coliseum today.
Red Bull Barako and Alaska Milk clash in the curtain-raiser at 4:15 p.m.