The Tropang Texters tore Sta. Lucia to shreds, 92-78, after double-double contributions from three players led by former Realtors cornerstone Kelly Williams in a PBA Fiesta Conference elimination round game at the Araneta Coliseum.

Talk 'N Text has stunned observers and experts at how its star-studded line-up has jelled so quickly as the Realtors never had a chance all night after falling behind big as early as the second quarter.

The Texters rose to 9-2 with their eighth straight win and remained within a game of the league-leading San Miguel Beermen, who have a 10-1 record, making the race for the No. 1 spot truly interesting with both squads set to square off on June 12 in Victorias City.

It was the second blowout victory for the Texters, who on Friday sent Derby Ace and its league-leading defensive game reeling to a 114-89 setback.

And because of that win, the only worry that coach Chot Reyes had in mind coming into the game against the Realtors was the sudden change in form most teams coming from a near-perfect game suffer.

"I think after that game against Derby Ace, what we guarded against was the proverbial dip in performance," Reyes told reporters later after also getting 12 points and 10 assists from Jimmy Alapag and 10 markers and 12 boards from import Shawn Daniels.

After closing out the first quarter behind by a point, the Texters got going in the second period, dropping 29 against the Realtors' 13 to open up a 52-37 lead at the half which Sta. Lucia never even came close to overhauling.

Ranidel De Ocampo finished with 14 markers and Mac Cardona had 12 for the Texters.

Anthony Johnson, as usual, was the brightest spot for the Realtors, finishing with 29 markers and 14 rebounds.

But he failed to get ample local support yet again, as what has been happening since Sta. Lucia gave away Williams and Ryan Reyes to Talk 'N Text in that blockbuster trade two weeks ago.

Derby Ace, meanwhile, rebounded from that loss in an overpowering manner as the Llamados broke free in the second half for a 104-91 ripping of Coca-Cola in the first game.

James Yap was a surprise non-starter because of a swollen left knee, but the one-time former MVP was still deadly in just 19 minutes as he helped key the Derby Ace breakaway in the third quarter.

The Llamados climbed to 7-4 with the win and stayed mathematically in the hunt for a place in the Final Four outright, which cannot be said of the Tigers, who absorbed a seventh straight loss in a 4-7 card.

Coca-Cola got 28 points from Rasahd Bell and 26 from top local Gary David, but no one else was up to the challenge as the woes of the Tigers kept piling up despite having a new import in Bell.

Yap finished with 14 points, seven of them in the third period where he hit all of his three attempts. And he did it without practice for the last two days and with a left knee that was so swollen he needed anti-inflammatory pills before the game.

"That just goes to show you the kind of character that James Yap has," Derby Ace coach Ryan Gregorio told reporters while seated beside Yap in the post-game interview. "For us coaches, it's always good news to know that you have warriors like James in the line-up."

Derby Ace also had its biggest offensive output in the tournament, having come into the game as the only team in the field yet to score at least 100 points.

The Llamados did it after getting six players in twin digits led by import Cliff Brown, who fired 18 and grabbed 12 rebounds in just 34 minutes.

Asi Taulava again failed to prop up Coca-Cola, scoring just five markers in 29 minutes.

"I just told them that this is not the end of the world," Coca-Cola coach Bo Perasol said.