Unbeaten Beermen survive Realtors

MANILA, Philippines - San Miguel climbed out of a deep hole in the third quarter then leaned on clutch shots by Dondon Hontiveros at the finish as the Beermen subdued the Sta. Lucia Realtors, 98-92, to stay unscathed in the Motolite PBA Fiesta Conference at the Ynares Arena in Pasig last night.

Hontiveros knocked in a booming triple and a free throw to shatter a 92-all deadlock, allowing the Beermen to complete their amazing comeback from 19-point deficits for a fifth win in as many outings in the season-ending tourney.

Trailing most of the first three quarters, the Beermen used a tough zone defense to stop the Sta. Lucia charge, handing the Realtors their second loss against three wins.

Down by three at 92-95 with 23 seconds left, the Realtors eventually yielded the game as Joseph Yeo was called for an offensive foul on Jay Washington.

Hontiveros and Gabe Freeman nailed three free throws for the final count.

With better shooting early on, the Realtors enjoyed 19-point spreads at 53-34 and 62-34 in the third quarter.

But the Beermen held the Realtors scoreless in the last five minutes of the third period to storm upfront, 69-62, going into the final canto.

The Realtors dominated the first half, sitting on a 44-34 cushion at the turn with Kelly Williams leading their assault with 13 points.

Second-string forward Norman Gonzales scored eight straight points to highlight a key run opening up a 40-31 lead for Sta. Lucia from a 26-all count.