ANTIPOLO, 20 May 2006 — There’s still something terribly wrong.
Talk ‘N Text lost for the third straight time with its souped-up line up last night after Dennis Espino dropped the winning basket in a 91-89 Sta. Lucia victory that actually extended the Phone Pals’ losing streak in the PBA Philippine Cup to six games.
Espino got the inbound pass from Nelbert Omolon inside the keyhole, faked Don Allado before launching a difficult fallaway, the ball bouncing on the rim at least four times before going in, for only the Realtors’ fourth victory in 15 games.
“Sana maging umpisa na ito ng magandang bagay para sa amin,” Espino later told Arab News. “Maganda itong panalo na ito para sa kumpiyansa namin dahil lalaro pa kami sa wild card phase.” Of all of its previous losses, this one could be particularly galling for the Phone Pals, who remained winless despite that blockbuster three-team trade involving six players more than two weeks back.
The Phone Pals played a team that was, and still is, at rock-bottom last night. And ironic it was that the Realtors suddenly found the focus they lacked in the past when they played the league’s strongest team on paper.
The game was not actually a particularly good one to watch, with both teams bungling charities at crucial times and a total of seven technical fouls being called for unsportsmanlike conduct. Still, it came as a refreshing break for the Realtors, who won for the first time in four games while dealing the Phone Pals their ninth loss against only five victories. Espino went on to finish with 22 points, nine rebounds and six assists, most of them coming in the most critical times in the stretch that had the Realtors zooming to as many as a 10-point lead at one point. Sta. Lucia moved ahead, 85-75 after two Espino free throws off Asi Taulava and looked headed to a cruise until Ren-Ren Ritualo and Don Allado, the marquee names which the Phone Pals acquired in that deal, hit a triple and a jumper for 85-80 with 2:54 left.
An Espino split and an assist to Omolon which sandwiched a triple by Mac Cardona on the other end going into the final 64 seconds restored a five-point Sta. Lucia lead, 88-83.
The Phone Pals had numerous chances of inching closer, or maybe even grabbing the lead, until they missed four of six free throws in a four-second span. The Espino basket broke the game’s last tie at 89, which was forged by Harvey Carey’s charity split with five seconds to go.
Alaska, meanwhile, stayed firmly in fourth spot after clipping San Miguel, 95-77, in the first game before a lean crowd at the Ynares Center here.
Reynel Hugnatan scored 12 of his tournament-high 16 points in the final two periods as the Aces stayed on course towards qualifying in the quarterfinals outright with an 8-7 card.
The loss, an insignificant one for the Beermen who made the Final Four ahead of everyone else as early as last week, was the fourth in 15 outings for San Miguel, good for a tie with idle Purefoods.
A total of five players scored in twin digits for the Aces, with Nic Belasco tossing in 15, Willie Miller 13, Jeffrey Cariaso 12 and Sonny Thoss 10. Danny Seigle paced the Beermen with 21 markers, the 11th straight time that he has tossed in 20 or better. The all-time record for such an achievement is being held by the injured Eric Menk of Barangay Ginebra. Menk had 12 during the 2001 season.
In a related development, the Gin Kings will miss the league’s leading scorer, Mark Caguioa, when they clash with the Air21 Express at the Mandaue gym in Cebu today.
The Commissioner’s Office fined “The Spark” P5,000 and suspended him for one game for his unsportsmanlike behavior during Ginebra’s 99-88 loss to the Coca-Cola Tigers on Wednesday. All told, Caguioa has been assessed a total of P85,000 in just over a week after being canned for P80,000 for snubbing the All-Star Weekend in Cagayan De Oro.
