STA. LUCIA OVERCOMES FINALS JITTERS TO CLAIM GAME 1
The Sta. Lucia Realtors must be really obsessed to win another championship.
Driven by that hunger, the Realtors overcame championship jitters and defeated the Purefoods TJ Giants, 109-97, Friday night in the opener of the 2007-08 Smart PBA Philippine Cup Finals at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Realtors turned the game around late in the third quarter as the Giants eventually tired out in the face of Sta. Lucia's tenacious defense.
"We started slow. Championship jitters caught up with the guys. We also tried different looks at defending Purefoods and it backfired. But to the credit of my players, they managed to recover and stepped up when they had to," said Sta. Lucia coach Boyet Fernandez during the post-game news conference.
"We didn't come to the Finals to play catch up," he quickly added.
Kelly Williams found his rhythm in the last 12 minutes after struggling for three quarters, providing the finishing touches in the decisive period to cap Sta. Lucia's amazing comeback.
He led all scorers with 24 points, including 14 in the fourth. He also grabbed 12 rebounds, had two assists, one steal and a shot block.
Game Two of the best-of-seven series is set Sunday also at the Araneta Coliseum.
The Giants, used to the pressure of championship atmosphere, dictated the pace in the first half.
But Sta. Lucia's defense eventually took its toll on the Giants, who committed 20 turnovers and gave up 25 points.
"We'll live and die by our defense," proclaimed Fernandez. "For us, it's the only way to win this championship."
Purefoods coach Ryan Gregorio gave no alibis for the loss.
"We didn't know how to make stops. I thought we did a good job when we forced them with 5 turnovers in the first quarter. But our ability to create turnovers took its toll on us. Ultimately we shot ourselves in the foot," observed Gregorio.
"I don't think physically we're ready to defend them in transition. I thought we have no problem on defense. I guess we have a lot of adjustments to make," he added.
The Purefoods coach also stressed that the Giants must not allow the Realtors to score over 100 points every game. And if they do, Gregorio believes, "No way we could win this series."
Dennis Espino scored 20, Nelbert Omolon had 16 and Marlou Aquino contributed 13, seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a sterling performance that helped the Realtors get back in the game.
A three-pointer by Christian Coronel put the Realtors ahead 74-72 before Mark Pingris tied it with a jumper in the ensuing play.
Both teams went scoreless for quite a spell before Denok Miranda completed a three-point play, and then scored an eight-footer as Sta. Lucia ended the third on top, 79-74.
The Realtors stretched the lead to 91-81 on a 3-pointer by Norman Gonzales and a free throw by Williams with 7:17 remaining.
The Giants never got closer than six points the rest of the way as they missed easy shots and kept turning the ball over. (DBC)
The Scores:
Sta. Lucia 109 – Williams 24, Espino 20, Omolon 16, Aquino 13, Yeo 11, Miranda 11, Gonzales 8, Coronel 4, Reyes 2, Daa 0.
Purefoods 97 – J. Yap 22, Raymundo 16, R. Yap 15, Pingris 12, Simon 11, Adducul 11, Lanete 8, Salvador 2, Sanz 0, Yee 0.
Quarters: 19-26; 46-55; 79-74; 109-97.
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